Kansas Museum of History Reopens After Major Renovation

Dimensional Innovations leads immersive redesign of 20,000-square-foot gallery in Topeka, offering bold reimagining of state's history museum

TOPEKA, Kan., Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After being closed for three years, the Kansas Museum of History will reopen November 22. This is the first major update of exhibits since its debut in the 1980s. The museum will unveil a fully reimagined, 20,000-square-foot gallery that immerses visitors in the stories that shaped the Sunflower State.

Dimensional Innovations (DI), a Kansas City-based experience design and fabrication firm, served as lead designer, fabricator and installer for the project. DI worked closely with the Kansas Historical Society, which operates the facility, to transform the museum into a modern, story-driven space that connects Kansas' past to the people and issues defining its future.

"Reinvigorating the Kansas Museum of History has been an incredible opportunity to rethink how history is experienced, especially since it is in our home state," said Carole Hollman, cultural practice director, Dimensional Innovations. "Kansas has a great story to tell, and we've taken this opportunity to organize the experience at the museum in a way that invites discovery, interaction and personal connection. Our hope is that visitors of all ages and backgrounds see themselves within the broader Kansas story."

An award-winning facility over the decades, the museum has been completely re-envisioned through a decade-long partnership with DI. The latter led the full redesign, from interpretive planning and content strategy to exhibit fabrication and audio-visual integration. Bringing the project to life was a deeply collaborative effort, with DI's exhibit designers working closely with museum and Historical Society staff.

The refreshed format features a hub-and-spoke layout that invites visitors to explore Kansas' history by theme rather than chronology. Each gallery radiates from a central hub, allowing guests to chart their own journey through defining moments in the state's past – from statehood and the Civil War to the rise of the railroads and the people who fought to shape a fairer society. More than 900 artifacts are showcased among 500 custom-built exhibit elements and over 500 graphic panels, blending authentic objects with immersive media and hands-on experiences.

Other highlights include a 1914 biplane, an 1860s cabin, a restored boxcar and a full-scale bison recreation (from project partner Blue Rhino Studio), with Kansas-based Upland Exhibits also contributing to fabrication and printing. North Kansas City-based Katalyst also helped with much of the casework on the project.

New design details and lighting also bring distinct moods to each section – such as the dark, angular "Bleeding Kansas" gallery and the bright, forward-looking "Changing Kansas." Together, they create a more accessible, story-driven and enduring way to experience Kansas' history.

"This renovation represents a critical new chapter for the Kansas Museum of History, one where we're equipped to serve generations of Kansans and teach them about our state's storied past," said Sarah Bell, director, Kansas Museum of History. "With Dimensional Innovations' expertise, we've created a space that's not just about what happened, but why it matters, and told in a clear and effective way today and for future generations."

The Kansas Museum of History joins a growing list of cultural landmarks brought to life by DI, which delivers end-to-end services spanning exhibit design, fabrication, interactive technology and immersive experience creation.

In recent years, DI has partnered with some of the nation's most prominent institutions, including the soon-to-open Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, and the Minnesota Vikings Museum – with each project redefining how visitors engage with history, storytelling and place.

More information about the Kansas Museum of History and the upcoming grand re-opening event can be found at www.kansashistory.gov/museum.

About Dimensional Innovations
Dimensional Innovations is an experience design, technology and fabrication firm with a national presence that partners with professional and collegiate sports franchises, Fortune 500 companies and brands, entertainment giants, and world-renowned hospitals to develop engaging experiences within a physical space. A team of brand strategists, animators, fabricators, interior designers, graphic designers, architects, interactive and environmental designers, and digital engineers collaborate together in 200,000 square feet of design and fabrication space to create some of the most talked-about experiences across the country. Dimensional Innovations is headquartered in Kansas City and has offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Denver. More information can be found at www.dimin.com.

About the Kansas Museum of History
The Kansas Museum of History is the state historical museum in Topeka. Its goal is to share stories and insights from all parts of Kansas' history. The museum project is made possible with the Kansas Historical Foundation, an IRS-determined 501(c)(3) non-profit, a sister organization of the Kansas Historical Society, a state agency. For more information, visit kansashistory.gov/museum.

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