The capital campaign for the renovation and expansion of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum surpassed its $21 million goal, museum officials announced late Thursday.

Set to open in summer 2022, the new Holocaust museum will quadruple the space of the existing facility to 36,000 feet. Museum leaders hope the new facility will “preserve the legacy of the Holocaust and empower visitors to make the world a more tolerant place by rejecting antisemitism and all forms of hate, racism and bigotry.”

“The incredible support we’ve received during the campaign reinforces the goal we set to achieve at the beginning of this process – to create a world-class Holocaust museum that will serve as a crucial resource for the region,” said Carol Staenberg, capital campaign chair. “The rising hatred and division in this country further validate the need and timeliness of this project. Curriculum, exhibits and programs inside the future St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum will produce transformative change outside its walls.”

Continuing donations to the museum will be put toward state-of-the-art technology, an accelerated expansion of the archives and research space, engaging virtual programming and the development of a first-of-its-kind Impact Lab.

The Impact Lab will give “modern day context to the lessons of the Holocaust in an experiential space designed to challenge students and visitors with fundamental questions facing every generation: how to protect human rights, safeguard democracy, and ensure freedom,” museum officials explained.

Set to open in the summer of 2022, the new museum will have its own entrance facing toward Lindbergh Boulevard and will feature the latest in interactive technology. This includes an environmentally controlled and secure archives space that will protect and preserve more than 12,000 artifacts, as well as a new space to display temporary exhibitions from the museum’s collections and those from other institutions. The museum’s new multipurpose area will offer seating for up to 250 visitors to attend programs and community events. There will also be a space dedicated to onsite research for students and scholars.

For more information or to donate, visit STLHolocaustMuseum.org.