Chicago Children's Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1982 |
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| Location | Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
The Chicago Children's Museum is a super fun place located right on Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. It's a special museum designed just for kids and families! It first opened its doors in 1982. A group called The Junior League of Chicago started it because they saw that some school programs in Chicago were being cut.
At first, the museum was quite small, just in two hallways of the Chicago Public Library. But it quickly became very popular! So many people wanted to visit that the museum started offering "trunk shows" and traveling exhibits. This meant they could bring fun, hands-on learning to more kids outside the museum building.
The museum moved a few times as it grew, always looking for a permanent home. In 1995, it found a big new spot at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan. This new location was huge, with about 57,000 square feet of space for exhibits. It had three floors packed with educational displays, public programs, and special events. When it moved to Navy Pier, it became the fourth largest children's museum in the United States! Today, the museum welcomes over 650,000 people each year, both at Navy Pier and through programs in communities around Chicago.
Growing Bigger: The Search for More Space
For more than ten years, the Navy Pier location worked really well for the museum. But in 2006, the museum announced exciting plans to get even bigger! They wanted to move to a new spot at Daley Bicentennial Plaza in Grant Park. This new location would have more than double the space for exhibits. It would also make it easier for even more families to visit.
The idea of moving to Grant Park had a lot of support. Even Mayor Richard Daley thought it was a great plan. However, some people were worried. They felt that building a museum in Grant Park would take away from the park's open green space. They also worried it might encourage other groups to build in the park too. The new building for Grant Park was designed by a famous architecture company called Krueck and Sexton Architects.
By 2011, museum leaders still wanted to move, but they hadn't made much progress. It was hard to raise enough money for the project, and the costs had grown to about $150 million. News reports suggested the museum would probably stay at Navy Pier. Around the same time, the Chicago Park District started making plans to fix up the area under Daley Bicentennial Plaza. This plan didn't include the museum. When asked about the museum, a park official simply said, "Well, they're not coming to Grant Park."
So, in late 2012, the museum made a new agreement with Navy Pier. They signed a 90-year lease! This new deal means the museum can expand its space at the Pier by almost 50 percent. It will grow from 57,000 square feet to 84,000 square feet. Details about this exciting expansion were planned to be shared in 2013. The Chicago Children's Museum continues to be a wonderful place for kids to learn and play!
