PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- Thirty years after being built, the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre is getting ready for a major expansion.

Dr. Ben Jones, Director of the State Historical Society, says they want to complete the project before they run out of storage space.

Assistant Director David Grabitske says age of an item isn’t necessarily connected to whether or not a piece belongs in the state’s historical collection.

Grabitske says they have thousands of items and over one million images to preserve, display and store.

Grabitske and Jones say they plan to break ground on the nearly $20 million expansion this spring and hope to have it finished in 2025.

Because the museum and archives will be off limits to the public during construction, the Historical Society is making arrangements for some of the museum artifacts to become exhibits at different locations around South Dakota, including at Northridge Plaza in Pierre. They are making plans for limited archival services and support to keep the state’s history accessible.