ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) -The Albany Museum of Art held a groundbreaking ceremony for its downtown relocation project at the old Belk store along West Broad Avenue.

The building will transform into a new center for art and education in about two years. The building was donated in 2019. Since then, crews have cleaned environmental contamination from the property and worked to secure funding to move the project forward.

The $35 million project will breathe life into downtown Albany, leaders said.

“It is unfortunate, but true, that in recent decades, the gap between what our downtown is and what we want and need it to be has widened,” Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said. “The museum’s relocation is an essential component of narrowing that gap.”

The current museum on Meadowlark Drive will remain open for exhibits and programs.

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