Abbe Museum seeks donations

BAR HARBOR — The Abbe Museum’s appeal for $100,000 in contributions to qualify for a $50,000 challenge gift has generated about half the required amount from donors since the end of October. The challenge gift requires that another $50,000 be raised by Dec. 31.

If the year-end challenge is met, the resulting $150,000 will be applied to the Abbe Museum’s $4.6 million capital campaign for a year-round museum building in downtown Bar Harbor. The museum needs to reach the 80 percent mark in the campaign, or $3.68 million, in order to break ground for the new building. Currently, the museum has raised $3.3 million.

“We are very grateful to those who have made pledges both large and small to help the Abbe meet this challenge,” said Lisa Heyward, chair of the Campaign to Bring the Abbe Museum to the Community. “We especially thank those who have enlarged their original pledge to the campaign, knowing how important it is for the Abbe to qualify for this contribution by year’s end.”

The project will include renovation of the century-old structure that formerly housed the YMCA and construction of new additions to the building, resulting in a state-of-the-art museum for the Abbe’s collections of Native American antiquities. The new museum will be open year-round, complementing the seasonal Abbe building at Sieur de Monts Spring that opened in 1928.

Contributions to the capital campaign may be mailed to the Abbe Museum, P.O. Box 286, Bar Harbor 04609. For information, call the Abbe Museum at 288-3519. The museum’s e-mail address is abbe@midmaine.com and its Web site is www.abbemuseum.org.