/ Renovation, Reflection, + Remembrance
After 20 successful years, the Zekelman Holocaust Center (The HC) in Farmington Hills, Michigan underwent a significant interior renovation to welcome a new generation of visitors. The primary goal of the renovated exhibit was to preserve and share the stories of local Holocaust survivors, focusing on their perspectives rather than those of the perpetrators. This transformation also aimed to create a digital experience that would deeply engage museum attendees.
With a focus on accessibility, the new exhibit now accommodates groups of 20 students, docent-led tours, and individual visitors. Many patrons, particularly students on school field trips, may not have initially chosen to visit the museum. This posed the challenge of making the experience captivating for large groups of all interest levels. The project team aimed to make the exhibit relatable on a human level, fostering compassion among visitors from Michigan and beyond.
Another goal of this project was to provide a unique perspective that extends beyond the historical facts that can be found in museums worldwide. In the past, the Zekelman Holocaust Center concluded its educational tours with live discussions featuring survivors. As the survivor population declines, the museum transitioned to digital and video storytelling to ensure these impactful narratives endure for future generations. The digital stories highlight women’s experiences and the journeys of many survivors who made Michigan their home.
Designed to create a rhythmic flow throughout the 15,000 square foot space, the new exhibit guides groups seamlessly through the experience. Visitors are encouraged to absorb information, ask questions, and reflect in dedicated spaces. Symbolism is thoughtfully integrated, with elements like aged wood representing camp housing and the use of descending and ascending ramps to evoke specific feelings. Great care was taken to preserve metaphors from the previous exhibit, and the use of new materials was deliberate and meaningful.
The impact of the renovation is evident across the Michigan community and beyond, as visitors of all ages connect with the survivor stories and reflect on the events of the Holocaust. The grand re-opening of the exhibit drew nearly 1,000 community members, including local survivors and their families. The Zekelman Holocaust Center’s new exhibit fosters compassion and inspires generations to understand their role in shaping a just society and remembering history.
/ Design + Construction
The newly designed exhibit at the Zekelman Holocaust Center creates a compelling, rhythmic journey through its 15,000 square feet, encouraging visitors to absorb information, ask questions, and reflect in dedicated spaces.
Ceiling heights, ramps, and materiality enhance the storytelling experience. The exhibit strategically aligns the historical timeline with the preexisting descending and ascending ramps. Visitors descend into the depths of the Holocaust, experiencing the tragedy and loss, and then ascend through stories of liberation, symbolizing hope for the future.
Collaborating with Holocaust survivors, archivists, and scholars ensured the stories were told with authenticity and depth. The exhibit design team digitized over 800 oral histories, primarily from Michigan and female survivors, emphasizing their real-life experiences.
The exhibit accommodates large docent-led groups by allowing students to start at multiple points, facilitating smooth rotations through various zones. Artifacts were carefully selected to share Jewish culture and women’s experiences opposed to the traditional focus on the Nazis. For example, the Nazi uniform remains on display, but now accompanied by survivor photos and stories, shifting the narrative from perpetrator to victim.
This design not only enhances visitor engagement but also ensures a profound and educational experience, fostering a deeper understanding of the Holocaust’s impact and legacy. Acoustic improvements were made throughout while incorporating the use of an audio application for accessibility for tours.
All conduits and audio/video elements were seamlessly integrated into the exhibit, necessitating careful coordination to locate and reroute previous installations through concrete floors.
During construction, the museum continued operations with temporary exhibits, demanding meticulous planning to minimize dust disruption and ensure life safety.
/ Architecture + Design
Feedback highlighted the importance of accommodating large student groups. We reimagined the exhibit to engage students effectively with design elements promoting rhythmic movement through varying ceiling heights, and a combination of compact and open spaces to evoke emotions, challenge the senses, and encourage curiosity.
The original building’s architecture, rich with symbolic elements such as natural light, exposed ceilings, and gray and blue striped walls representing the clothing Jews were forced to wear, was preserved. The renovation aimed to celebrate and highlight these initial symbolic design elements, maintaining the historical metaphors in the new design.
/ Construction
The project was divided into 18 zones, necessitating phased construction and careful coordination to maintain the timeline. A catwalk in the middle of the exhibit complicated logistics, requiring innovative solutions for material movement and worker access. The general contractor delivered the building shell while an out-of-state vendor provided exhibits, necessitating effective communication and scheduling. High on-site security required all trades to undergo background checks, adding administrative complexity.
Thorough OAC (Owner-Architect-Contractor) meetings ensured clear communication and alignment on goals and timelines. Detailed and timely RFIs (Requests for Information) were used to resolve questions promptly. Sachse gathered and documented all trades’ driver’s licenses for required background checks, ensuring compliance with security protocols.
/ Other Challenges
The exhibit required acoustic enhancements for group-led experiences. Studies on sound transfer necessitated control measures. The team selectively installed carpet under exhibits and sprayed acoustic materials on ceilings to maintain the intended cold, desolate feel of the cement floors while controlling sound. Sound absorption behind SEG (silicon edged graphics) were carefully placed throughout.
Close collaboration with inspectors ensured code compliance without disrupting the exhibit experience. Solutions included obtaining approval to omit an exit sign in the hallway of the Eternal Flame and designing a custom mechanism to open the curtain enclosing the video experience in case of fire.
Security updates included zoned, key-entry, as well as bullet proof glass throughout the building.
The concrete floors posed significant challenges as all conduits and audio/video elements had to be hidden. Careful coordination was required to locate and reroute existing conduits. Constantly changing electrical and power requirements demanded frequent adjustments. Low voltage lines were rerouted to accommodate new audio/visual needs, with visible concrete repairs handled meticulously.
The team addressed floor imperfections, such as dents left by a large train boxcar, by buffing but not completely removing them, honoring the previous exhibit. The exposed concrete flooring required special care during repairs. Touch-up maintained the exhibit’s aesthetic integrity.
Seamlessly integrating advanced audio/visual systems demanded meticulous planning to ensure flawless operation. This sophisticated coordination was crucial for achieving the desired visitor experience and seamless docent tours.
/ Exhibition Design Solutions
The Holocaust Center’s exhibit is designed to be empowering, engaging, empathetic, informative, authoritative, and declarative. The in-gallery visual language enhances the storytelling arc, providing a well-orchestrated visitor experience. The exhibit’s typographic and color expressions complement the museum’s brand, evolving from bright teal to brick red, mirroring the museum’s exterior and supporting historical imagery and artifacts of Jewish life.
The exhibit design integrates architectural symbolism, large structures, graphics, video displays, projections, artifacts, and contemporary imagery. Zones within the exhibit—Experiential, Inquiry, and Reflection—guide visitors through different aspects of the Holocaust narrative.
Documentary footage and still images feature survivors against neutral black or white backgrounds, emphasizing faces and eyes without special effects. Contemporary portraits and videos are in color, creating a dynamic contrast. Multimedia installations, including both linear and non-linear media and audio elements, highlight breakthrough moments in the story, enhancing the thematic spaces.
Archival materials are presented with preserved imperfections, maintaining their evidentiary nature. Survivors are depicted holding photographs from particular times in the past, providing a tangible connection to history.
Highly legible typefaces were selected for the exhibits, and the vertical positioning of display elements follows The Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design, ensuring accessibility for visitors of all ages and heights.
Colors from the surrounding landscape are incorporated into the exhibit, creating a visual pre-context for visitors. This approach grounds the exhibit in its physical environment, enhancing the overall experience.
Women’s perspectives are prominently featured, sharing untold stories. The digital experience includes 60 survivor stories, with future planning allowing for message updates.
Symbolism is thoughtfully integrated throughout. Metaphors from the previous exhibit were preserved, and new materials such as aged wood, concrete, and metals were chosen with deliberate intent. The wood in the exhibit was stained and distressed to create a weathered appearance, symbolizing the harsh conditions of camp housing.
Lighting design played a crucial role, with the lighting designer involved throughout the process to ensure it complemented and enhanced the storytelling and emotional impact of the exhibit.
/ Social Impact
The Zekelman Holocaust Center serves as a vital educational resource. Since 2016, Holocaust and Genocide Education is mandatory for grades 8-12 in Michigan. The HC provides guided tours for students from over half the counties in Michigan. The adult education programs attract teachers and docents equipping Michigan educators with the knowledge and tools to effectively teach the history of the Holocaust. This widespread educational outreach fosters a deeper understanding of historical events and promotes the values of empathy and tolerance across diverse communities.
“My favorite change to the exhibit is the room where you write something you can do to help change or keep this from happening again. It helps us remember what happened and how we can change the way we react.” – Unknown Visitor
“Since they renovated, (The HC’s) focus is more on local survivors. When you enter, there’s this huge wall with my mom’s quote of what her life was like prior to the war. So when people walk into the exhibit, they want (visitors) to get a feel for what the whole person was like, not just their experience in the camps and during World War II. You can see and hear her talking about her liberation, and part of it flashes to one of her liberators, Doug Harvey. It was like a piece of history watching the two of (them) together, a survivor and a U.S. Army liberator. Each time I see it, it’s just so meaningful, I get emotional — just so proud of my mother, of how she has had the ability to be so resilient and share her story with the world.” – Lori Ellis, Daughter of Holocaust Survivor and local resident, Sophie Tajch Klisman
“The memories of Holocaust survivors like my dad, whether living or deceased, have been taken out of the museum vaults and brought front and center in an extensive reshaping of how The HC explains the Holocaust. We hear portions of the survivors’ testimonies in their own voices. We consider their words displayed on panels and gallery walls or projected on floors. Sometimes we realize we even know the people we are seeing and hearing. By shifting the focus from the perpetrators to the Jewish victims, The HC is preserving the legacy of our precious survivors to benefit generations to come.” – Esther Allweiss Ingber, Contributing Writer, Detroit Jewish News
/ Overall Impact
The Zekelman Holocaust Center has had a profound impact on the Michigan community and beyond, creating a space where visitors of all ages can connect with survivor stories and reflect on the events of the Holocaust. Through its outreach programs targeting students and teachers, the center has significantly expanded its organization and media presence in Michigan.
The grand re-opening of the exhibit attracted nearly 1,000 community members, including local survivors and their families, highlighting the center’s role as a vital community hub. A group of female survivors, many over 100 years old, cut the ribbon symbolizing the importance of perseverance and tolerance for future generations. By preserving the stories of many survivors, the center ensures that these narratives will be remembered for generations to come.
In the months after the grand opening, the Zekelman Holocaust Center has seen a surge in school tours, keeping the museum fully booked. The museum faculty have been analyzing data from the interactive exhibit sections, discovering overwhelmingly positive responses from students. One student wrote, “I can be nicer to others when I play Fortnite.” While this comment could be overlooked, it illustrates how young students are finding meaningful ways to connect the lessons of the Holocaust to their everyday lives, including video games and online chats. This aligns directly with the center’s goal to foster empathy and reduce hate within the community and beyond.
The Zekelman Holocaust Center’s exhibit fosters compassion and inspires visitors to consider how they can contribute to a just society. It serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of remembering history to shape a better future.
/ Exhibit Renovation Project Team
The exhibit renovations were completed in collaboration with The Zekelman Holocaust Center, Sachse Construction, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Design and Production Inc., Ferndale Electric, and Technical Artistry.