Milwaukee City Wire

Construction on the new Milwaukee Public Museum has finally commenced after years of being pushed for by supporters of the $240 million project.

"We've been working on this project for several years, and this is really the first physical manifestation of the project," Milwaukee Public Museum Chief Planning Officer Katie Sanders told WISN.com.

With the new facility set to be housed along Sixth Street, between McKinley and Vliet streets, just north of Fiserv Forum, demolition crews were recently on the scene to begin demolishing a building at the corner of Sixth and Vliet. Plans call for at least two more structures that are located along McKinley Avenue to come down over the next 12 months.

City officials claim the cost for maintaining the current 60-year-old museum has become too much to bear. The new museum building is the third major project planned for the area, adding to plans for a new hotel and concert venues.

"Our long-contemplated concert venues will be built right here where we stand," said Joel Plant of Frank Productions.

Groundbreaking on the new museum is expected to take place at the end of next year, with the grand opening planned to take place sometime in 2026. Between now and then, the current museum will remain open during construction.

"You could imagine packaging all of these precise objects and specimens is quite the undertaking, and it's going to take us several years to get that done," Sanders added.

The new facility is slated to have its own parking and a new-and-improved butterfly wing and planetarium.