Milwaukee Public Museum announces new home near Deer District
A rendering of the Milwaukee Public Museum's Reef exhibit at the new location.
MILWAUKEE - The northeast corner of 6th Street and McKinley Street in downtown Milwaukee will be the future home of the Milwaukee Public Museum and Betty Brinn Children's Museum.
The 2.4-acre site is adjacent to the Deer District and will provide clear access to visitors thanks to freeway and bus routes, MPM announced Friday in a release.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have selected the future home of the Milwaukee Public Museum in a place we know to be ideal for our community and our mission,” said Dr. Ellen Censky, President & CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum. “For 140 years and through four homes, MPM has been part of this neighborhood. By locating our new home in the historic Haymarket District on McKinley Street, MPM will remain in a part of the City that is close to neighborhoods and is accessible for all, and will continue to have an integral presence in the minds and hearts of our community for generations to come.”
After reviewing hundreds of sites, the site was selected following a lengthy process to determine a location best suited to preserve the future of the Milwaukee Public Museum, a release said.
The location will accommodate the 230,000-square-foot facility of exhibit space, visitor services, a cafe and retail store, underground parking, collections research and storage, classrooms, an auditorium, event venue space, offices, a small workshop for exhibit maintenance and back-of-house spaces.
Betty Brinn Children’s Museum will co-locate with MPM as a tenant in the new, state-of-the-art building to be created on the site and will occupy approximately 30,000-square-feet of the facility, the release said.
“This is an ideal location for both Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and the Milwaukee Public Museum,” said Brian King, Executive Director of the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. “We could not be more excited to move forward with designing and constructing a new space for Betty Brinn Children’s Museum – one that is designed from the outset to be a children’s museum and enables us to inspire kids to the very best of our abilities.”
Choosing the site is the most recent milestone in what is a long-term plan for creating a new home for the Milwaukee Public Museum. While due diligence is underway on the site, exhibit planning continues and MPM is actively working to secure funds for the purchase of the site, a release said.
The Museum has and will continue to engage with underrepresented communities to co-curate the exhibits to ensure inclusive and accurate depictions of various communities. In the coming months, an architect will be engaged. The Museum will incorporate sustainable design practices, including LEED and WELL concepts. After working with an architect, final cost estimates will be determined.