Scholte House in Pella is closed after the interior was damaged late last week.
Executive Director of Pella Historical Society Valerie Van Kooten tells KNIA/KRLS News a big chunk of the ceiling at Scholte House in the upstairs drawing room caved in.
Van Kooten says it had been bulging for quite a while, and they were hoping it would hold out until they close for the winter and this fall’s fund drive had begun. Additionally, one of Maria Scholte’s paintings was damaged.
“It can all be repaired, but it sure underscores why we need to have a full structural evaluation,” Van Kooten says.
Most damage has been cleaned up and the painting will be sent back to a restorer in Chicago in the near future. The Scholte House will reopen Wednesday.