The Columbia River Maritime Museum is exploring an expansion to feature a second exhibit hall.

Museum leaders believe a new building, which is proposed between the museum and the Barbey Maritime Center off Marine Drive, would help tie together the campus, which also includes the Warnock Commons and Model Boat Pond, an educational resource and community open space.

There are dozens of historic boats and thousands of other artifacts in storage that the museum hopes to put on display in a new building.

“Our five-year strategic plan highlighted the need to bring more of our collections to the public in pursuit of our vision of being a truly world-class maritime museum,” Michael Haglund, the chairman of the museum’s board, said in a statement.

The board is expected to review architectural and exhibit design options and cost estimates before voting on whether to proceed with the project in August.

Bruce Jones, the museum’s deputy director, said the museum is eager for the opportunity to showcase more boats and artifacts and to acquire and display additional vessels of significance.

“Our goal for this new building is to provide a rich, interactive visitor experience inspiring our guests with enthusiasm, curiosity and appreciation for our region’s long and varied maritime heritage,” Jones said in a statement.

The new space could showcase vessels like the 1938 wooden yacht Merrimac built by Astoria Marine Construction Co., Jones said, so “we’ll be able to tell the stories of the local craftsmen who built and maintained boats and ships at AMCCO for nearly a century.”

Other highlights being considered for display include fishing vessels built by Astoria’s Wilson Brothers and Bumble Bee shipyards; a 60-foot racing shell built by famed boatbuilder George Pocock; a first-order Fresnel lens; local recreational boats and a log bronc utility vessel used to corral logs.

The museum is also working with the U.S. Coast Guard to home a soon to be retired HH-65 Dolphin search and rescue helicopter, as well as the 52-foot motor lifeboat Triumph II, which saved and assisted local fishermen from Point Adams and Cape Disappointment for 60 years until 2021.

A new building could also include a classroom and science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics space.

The museum has hired Astoria-based Rickenbach Construction as the general contractor for the project, as well as Portland-based Opsis Architecture and Storyline Studio, an exhibit designer based in Bothell, Washington, to develop a plan for the expanded campus.

Sam Johnson, the museum’s executive director, said it is important that the new building complement the museum campus and Astoria’s historic working waterfront.

Jones said the museum had nearly 104,000 visitors last year and reached nearly 9,700 students through its educational program in schools.

Noting that the museum’s parking lot is often used by people to access the Astoria Riverwalk or enjoy river views, Jones said the museum also plans to add parking spaces on the museum’s property immediately east of the Barbey Maritime Center.

He said the museum has also expressed interest to the city about including a neighboring city property in the expansion. He believes the property would support the Riverfront Vision Plan’s goal of a “riverfront park or open space as a focal point on the river to unite the civic elements of the museum, river trail and train station.”

A local group behind an effort to bring the Jantzen Beach carousel to Astoria has also expressed interest in the city-owned property, which is located behind City Lumber.