The National Building Museum laid off 8% of its staff in January to help alleviate financial issues exacerbated by the museum’s temporary closure.

That amounted to seven employees, confirmed Chase Rynd, the museum’s executive director. DCist first reported the news. The National Building Museum closed its exhibits and great hall in December to replace its floor. It plans to reopen in March.

But the revenue lost from those shuttered months wasn’t the only reason for the layoffs. The project itself, which will replace the 1800s-era concrete floor, was expected to cost $2.23 million, and the museum was unable to bring in new major donors before the work started.

The museum’s finances have gone up and down in recent years, with it finishing in the black with net income of $383,323 in 2018, the most recent year for which its tax forms are available. It finished in the red in 2016 and 2017, however, with net losses of $740,780 and $163,916, respectively.

Rynd said the staffing…