Barnum Museum repair project to cost up to $17M

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A Bridgeport museum celebrating flamboyant showman P.T. Barnum will need to raise up to $17 million to renovate and repair its historic building damaged by a tornado last year.

Barnum Museum officials said Friday that repairs will cost $6 million or $7 million. But overhauling exhibition space and fixing other areas in the building are expected to raise the cost to between $15 million and $17 million.

The project is expected to take more than two years.

Built in the 1890s, the building is owned by the city of Bridgeport and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been closed since Jan. 2 to assess damage and preserve the prized collection.

The rare tornado caused structural damage and scattered debris when it swept through Bridgeport in June 2010.