Chandelier returning to Czech-Slovak museum in Cedar Rapids

A beacon of hope during the Floods of 2008 is taking shape to prepare for its reinstallation in the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

The museum's signature chandelier was carefully dismantled in November 2010 - the last item removed before the building was relocated to higher ground the following summer. More than 1,000 crystals, along with globes, lamp arms and other pieces, were kept crated in storage until this week, when workers began the process of reassembling the 8-foot-tall chandelier.

“It's a job that must be done right,” said facilities director Grant Smith, pointing to row upon row of numbered crystals laid out on five tables inside the museum. “It can't be rushed.”

The chandelier was one of few items left untouched by 8-foot-high Cedar River floodwaters that inundated the building in June 2008.

Museum library director Dave Muhlena said 13 pallets of books and archival materials were returned from storage Monday, some of which had been restored at the University of Iowa. Other preparations are being completed as the museum readies for its July 14 reopening date.

On Tuesday, Smith was tasked with devising a connection between the top of the chandelier and a new hoist that will allow staff to raise and lower the nearly 500-pound fixture for cleaning or changing bulbs.

Smith said new bulbs will have an environmental twist. Previously, 48 40-watt lights were used, pulling 1,920 watts of power. New 3-watt LED bulbs will draw just 144 watts, he said, for the same amount of light.

The fixture will be lit whenever the building is open.

“It is a centerpiece of the museum,” Smith said.

The Czech-made chandelier, donated by siblings Leora and Edwin Zahorik, was installed by three electricians from the Czech Republic in 1998. Dave Dyrland of Paulsen Electric, who rewired the fixture in 2007, helped dismantle the piece for storage. The company is also being used for the reinstallation.

Jason Wright, museum vice president for development, said the chandelier cheered staff members who saw it upon returning to the building after the flood. When power was restored to the area, he said, the chandelier was lit as a demonstration of the recovery.

“It was like the soul of the building was still there,” Wright said. “It was this glimmering beacon of hope.”