The financially strapped museum in Chisholm (Chis’-uhm) formerly called Ironworld has closed. No reopening date has been set.

The nonprofit’s board of directors decided this week to lay off the 26 full-time employees of the Minnesota Discovery Center starting on Friday.

Board chairman Rich Puhek says they couldn’t find enough money to cover payroll and other day-to-day operations.

Many of the problems come from the drop in interest income from the $10 million endowment set up in 2007 to operate the museum. The drop was too large for a recent uptick in attendance to cover.

The 660-acre Discovery Center includes a museum, entertainment venue, park and research library. The facility changed its name in June.

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Information from: Duluth News Tribune, http://www.duluthsuperior.com