Guided tours of Kent State University’s historic May 4, 1970, Site and Memorial will be offered daily beginning Nov. 1 as the university begins renovations to Taylor Hall, which houses the May 4 Visitors Center.
“We believe the tours will still offer significant insight and experience to the May 4 story during a time when the center and its galleries are not accessible,” says Mindy Farmer, director of Kent State’s May 4 Visitors Center.
Tour guides will be available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at nearby Stopher Hall. Tours last approximately 30 minutes and will include stops and discussions at key locations around Taylor Hall and the Kent State Commons.
Renovations to Taylor Hall will provide updated classroom space for the School of Communication Studies and the School of Visual Communication Design and should be complete by fall 2017.
Located in the former offices of the Daily Kent Stater, the center opened in 2013 to tell the May 4 story set against the political and cultural changes of the 1960s. Renovations to Taylor Hall will not impact the existing center or galleries but instead will create additional classroom and exhibit space for future visitors who wish to learn more about the events surrounding May 4, 1970.
In the interim, plans are underway to open a temporary May 4 exhibit in early 2017.
Staff members of the May 4 Visitors Center also are available to speak to classes. If interested, instructors can contact Farmer at mfarmer4@kent.edu to make arrangements.
