Holliday Street building gets new life as $5.5M community museum

The Peale on Holliday Street.(Ed Gunts/Bmore Art)

After a five-year renovation, the Holliday Street building, the United States' first museum, is now The Peale, a community museum, set to open on August 13.

The first three floors will be open to the public for exhibits and gatherings, the second floor has a theater for up to 100 people and the top floor has office spaces. The Peale is set to be a non-collecting museum for an always-changing array of programs.

The renovations include a new elevator, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning system meant to make the building last for the next 200 years, according to Bmore Art.

The building has had many different functions in the past such as a school, a seat of government and museums.