The shadows of 1931 are resurfacing at the Sparks Heritage Museum as the institution sets out to find $400,000 in funding to restore its second floor.

In a former life, the museum, located on the corner of Victorian Avenue and Pyramid Way, was the Sparks branch of the Washoe County Library. In those days, the second floor of the building was bustling with quiet readers and community events.

At the beginning of 2008, the second floor was still being used as office space for the Sparks Parks and Recreation Department while the heritage museum operated downstairs.

Now that the city's parks and recreation department has turned over its space to the museum, officials are looking to restore the top floor.

"What we are trying to do is create an archival library as well as a multipurpose educational room," museum director Anthea Humphreys said. "It is basically restoring it back, restoring some of the historical integrity of the building."

Humphreys has sent a grant request to the State of Nevada Commission on Cultural Affairs asking for $115,285. Her next step will be go to Carson City to plead the museum's case before the committee itself.

"We are going to need to raise other funds but that (grant) would give us the initial kick we need," Humphreys said.

The museum is funded entirely on donations, membership fees and admission money, Humphreys said. The establishment's closest tie to the City of Sparks is through the building itself, which was given to museum. According to Humphreys, the museum does not have to pay rent in order to be in the building. In exchange, they have agreed to do free programs with children in local schools.

Although Humphreys said that the museum ideally would need to raise $400,000 for the renovation, she is waiting for initial funding to hire an architect and engineer before committing to any numbers.

"It would be possible for us to do what needs to be done (ourselves), it just won't be done as nicely," Humphreys said.

She explained that the cost could be variable depending on how much labor community members might be willing to donate or how much museum staff would be willing to do themselves.

Since it was a library from 1930 to 1965, the building has had a history of sharing space with other city functions. In its early days, the library shared space with the Washoe County Justice Court, with the court taking the downstairs and the library filling the second floor. In 1965, the library moved out entirely and left the building all to the justice court. Then, in 1992, the justice court moved out and City of Sparks administration moved in. In 1996, the county turned over the building to the City of Sparks. It was not until 1997 that the Heritage Museum moved into the building.

According to an annual report presented to the city on Dec. 15, 2008, more than 2,720 visitors came through the museum's doors last year. About 41 percent of those visitors were from Sparks, 44 percent came from other areas in northern Nevada and 15 percent of visitors came from other states.