Milwaukee Public Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1882 |
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| Location | 800 West Wells Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin  United States |
| Type | Public museum |
| Collection size | 4 million |
| Visitors | 500,000-600,000 annually |
| Owner | MPM, Inc. |
| Public transit access |  MCTS |
The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) is a cool place in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's a museum about nature and people's past. It started way back in 1882 and opened its doors in 1884. It's run by a group that doesn't make a profit. MPM has three floors packed with amazing exhibits. It also has Wisconsin's very first Dome Theater, which is like a giant movie screen all around you!
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
The MPM is one of many big museums started in the late 1800s. But its story actually began earlier, in 1851. That's when the German-English Academy opened in Milwaukee. The school's principal, Peter Engelmann, loved taking students on field trips.
On these trips, students collected many interesting things. They found plants, rocks, and old artifacts. These items were kept at the academy. Soon, former students and others also gave items to the collection. This included historical and cultural objects.
By 1857, the collection grew very popular. Mr. Engelmann started a natural history club to help manage it. People started calling the collection "The Museum." It got so big that the academy couldn't hold it all. A city leader named August Stirn helped pass a law. This law allowed the City of Milwaukee to take the collection. It also helped create "a free public museum."
The Museum's Early Years
The museum's new leaders hired Carl Doerflinger. He became the first director. They rented a space to show the exhibits. The Milwaukee Public Museum opened to the public on May 24, 1884. Doerflinger wanted the museum to be a place for learning and research. He also wanted it to teach the public.
He asked the city to buy land for a new building. This building would hold both the museum and the Milwaukee Public Library. Doerflinger left in 1888. The new museum building was finished in 1898. It was located at 814 W. Wisconsin Avenue.
In 1890, Carl Akeley created something special. He was a taxidermist and biologist. He is known as the "father of modern taxidermy." Akeley made the world's first complete museum habitat diorama. It showed a muskrat colony in its natural home.
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In 1902, Henry L. Ward became the museum's fourth director. Before him, the museum focused only on nature. Ward changed this by starting a History Museum. To help with this, Samuel A. Barrett was hired. He was an expert in anthropology, the study of human cultures. Barrett later became the museum director. He led the museum through the Great Depression in the 1930s. He used government programs to keep the museum running.
Modern Times at MPM
Construction on the museum's current building began in 1960. It was finished in 1962. The new location is at 800 W. Wells Street. This is one block north of the old building. The old building is now the Milwaukee Central Library. The museum kept some exhibits there until 1966.
In 1976, the museum was sold to Milwaukee County. This happened because of a disagreement about entry fees. In 1992, the museum's operations were given to a non-profit group. This group was called Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc. This helped the museum get more private donations.
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In 2010, Jay B. Williams became the new director. He worked to raise money and get more people to visit. In 2014, Dennis Kois became president and CEO. During his time, the museum had its highest visitor numbers ever. In 2019, Dr. Ellen Censky was officially named president and CEO.
The Museum's Future
In 2017, the museum announced plans to move. A study showed the old building needed many expensive repairs. In 2020, MPM shared the new location. It will be on North Sixth Street. Designs for the new building were shown in 2022. It will be a five-story building. Construction is planned to start in spring 2024. The new museum is expected to open in early 2027.
Museum Exhibits
The Milwaukee Public Museum has both permanent and traveling exhibits.
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Permanent Exhibits
The first big exhibit in the current museum was Streets of Old Milwaukee. It opened in January 1965. This is one of the most popular exhibits at MPM. Millions of people have visited it since it opened.
Research and Collections
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The Milwaukee Public Museum has over 4 million artifacts. Its research and collections include:
- A 14,500-year-old woolly mammoth skeleton. The real bones are very old and fragile. They are kept safe for research. A strong fiberglass copy is on display at the museum.
- A collection of over 10,000 bird eggs. These eggs are from birds all over the world. Many are from birds found in Wisconsin.
Images for kids
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Milwaukee Public Museum logo
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Milwaukee Public Museum building
See also
In Spanish: Museo Público de Milwaukee para niños
