Michael Lollar - The Commercial Appeal -

The National Civil Rights Museum announced Tuesday that corporate and state donations already have raised about 77 percent of the $27 million construction budget for renovation and redesign of the 20-year-old institution.

At an event to kick off the public phase of the fundraising effort, museum president Beverly Robertson said the museum will shut down its main building at the end of 2012 for the work. It is expected to be closed for 12 to 14 months, but the museum annex across the street on Mulberry will remain open.

The annex, which tells the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassin, James Earl Ray, includes the rooming house from which Ray fired the fatal bullet while King stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, now part of the museum.

Robertson said state and corporate donations have produced $21 million of the $27 million construction budget. The museum's total fundraising goal is $40 million, with $13 million to go to an endowment fund, largely to promote educational projects.

The largest corporate donations include $5 million from the Hyde Family Foundations, $4.95 million from the state (over two years), $2.5 million from FedEx and $1 million each from Ford Motor Co.; Links, Inc.; Southeastern Asset Management and The Long-leaf Partner Fund.

Gov. Bill Haslam joined the news conference Tuesday because of the state's contribution of $2.5 million last year and another $2.5 million this year to help fund museum operations. His wife, Crissy, a former Memphian, said she and the governor have toured the museum, citing King's motel room and the balcony where he stood when he was killed as the most "moving" part of the exhibit for her.

The governor said $50,000 of the state's donation will go to the Alex Haley Museum in Henning, Tenn. The Haley Museum and the National Civil Rights Museum will use the donations to cross-promote common themes at the two sites.

While the main building is closed, the museum may recruit special exhibitions to be staged off-site, possibly at Memphis Cook Convention Center, as an educational benefit and revenue source during the construction phase of the project, said Gwen Harmon, director of governmental and community affairs for the museum.

Museum board chairman Herb Hilliard said the museum has become a "solid economic anchor for Downtown Memphis. The exciting part of a public campaign like this one is for the community to understand no contribution is too small. We want to encourage and challenge those corporate leaders who have not joined this campaign to do so."

Robertson said the redesign will touch almost every part of the museum, including enhanced interactive technology in existing exhibits, and new exhibits, including a slave-trade gallery.

Listening posts outside will help to usher visitors into a totally redesigned lobby. Walls will be removed to make way for an expansive two-story entry with a curving stairway leading to the second floor.

Robertson said meeting space also will be expanded. "We find ourselves having to decline a lot of public events due to a lack of space," she said.

-- Michael Lollar: (901) 529-2793