The Costs Are Rising

[J. Beckert]

I was at Ford's on Tuesday. I thought the new museum was a total mess and the building itself is in dire need of some attention. The paint on the windows and wood that trims the roof is peeling and looks terrible. The last time I was there was in 1983 and I parked right in front, walked into the lobby and took a free tour for hours. All the artifacts were prominently displayed in a tasteful fashion. This time I walked into the new entrance, which prohibits you from entering the lobby, and downstairs to the museum, which in my opinion, is a train wreck. The exhibits are so dark, it's impossible to get a good look at most items they display. I can understand that some items may have to be displayed that way for preservation concerns, but the door brace Booth used to secure the door from the dress circle is only half visible and the door to the box is so dark, you have to squint to see the hole bored in it. The tour guides were like robots, no presentation was given and we had a group tour of about 100 people, most of which were 6th graders. Very disappointing, to say the least.