BEAVER FALLS, PA – Neighborhood North: Museum of Play celebrates 3 years of growth in their temporary space by launching a capital campaign and Giving Gears community funding campaign towards building their new permanent home. 

Neighborhood North: Museum of Play (NN) is a children’s museum project that started as a local pop-up exhibit in 2015; grew into a fully-operating temporary space in 2021; and now seeks to redevelop the unoccupied News Tribune Building into a permanent home for youth learning and exploration. The new space can serve as a keystone for downtown community renaissance in Beaver Falls. Currently the museum’s Preview Space occupies a former bank on the corner of 14th St & 8th Ave – a 2,500 sf space transformed and open daily for general fun, school field trips, birthday parties, and special learning events. The project’s immediate popularity and 3 years of continual growth has propelled it to plan a move into the former regional newspaper publishing and printing house, a few blocks away. 

Community Involvement Building a Community Museum 

This year, NN launched its capital campaign to fund the Tribune Building’s renovation. Over $1.2 million has been raised towards a $10 million goal. In addition to attracting large private donations and public grants, NN is now launching a community giving campaign called Giving Gears. This unique program offers anyone the opportunity to be a part of the museum’s construction. Donations ranging from $100 – $10,000 will directly support design and renovation, and will be recognized with an inscription on an actual machine gear. All sponsored gears will be interconnected in a brand new exhibit featured on the exterior of the new museum. Turning one gear will rotate all of them together – symbolizing the communal revitalization efforts. Giving Gears donation info is available at: https://www.neighborhoodnorth.com/giving-gears/. 

Founder and Executive Director, Christine Kroger says: “Giving Gears is a fantastic opportunity for classrooms, clubs, businesses, workplaces, families, friends, and groups of any kind to join together and raise money towards constructing a vital new children’s museum.” 

Full Steam Ahead on an Amazing Revitalization Journey 

Renovating the Tribune Building will create a premier regional attraction where children and families can access playful learning experiences that nurture curiosity, belonging, and confidence. The larger footprint (18,000 sf) will also integrate teen programs, adult-learning and family-engagement offerings. The Preview Site’s success (15,000+ visitors lifetime) has laid the groundwork for this new project to aim for a 2028 opening. Christine credits partnerships with local government and redevelopment agencies, as well as regional businesses and family foundations, for helping grow the audience for youth discovery and innovation in the region.