Ooh, what do we have here? 

LoCO caught a glimpse of what appears to be the city’s new visitor center while meandering through Old Town Eureka this week.

As it turns out, the Eureka Visitor Center, currently located within the Clarke Museum, is in the process of moving into the historic D.C. McDonald Building smack dab in the heart of Old Town. We asked if we could take a peek at the new digs but city staff politely turned us down and advised eager onlookers such as ourselves to wait for the big reveal this fall.

Image via the City of Eureka

“The grand opening of the new location will be on Oct. 1 at Arts Alive,” Sarah West, economic development coordinator for the City of Eureka, wrote to the Outpost this morning. “The visitor center at the Clarke Museum will remain open and operating through the end of September, with only a few days of closure to transition the space. Eureka Main Street and Economic Development staff have already moved into the offices of the new space.”

Why change spaces? For years, the city has rented offices in the former Vance Hotel building and the Clarke Museum to house Eureka’s Economic Development team and Eureka Main Street. The new location will allow staff to consolidate operations into one space in Old Town.

“[The D.C. McDonald Building] at 108 F Street was available and an ideal fit for both uses,” West continued. “Its location and visibility are perfect for both the Visitor Center and the business-serving side of Economic Development and Eureka Main Street. We’re excited to be close to the gazebo and the waterfront.”

She was careful not to share too many details but did note that the new visitor center will be “more concierge focused” and less focused on selling local products.

“There are plenty of Eureka businesses doing a fabulous job selling locally made goods and tourist items, so we will be scaling back our merchandise selection,” she said. “As the city, our job is to uplift all of the wonderful things Eureka has going on. That’s what we will be focusing on for the new space.”

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