Peoria Riverfront Museum facts for kids
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| Established | October 20, 2012 |
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| Location | 222 SW Washington Street Peoria, Illinois |
| Type | Art, science, history, achievement, planetarium, film society |
| Public transit access |  CityLink |
The Peoria Riverfront Museum is a special place in downtown Peoria, Illinois. It sits right by the Illinois River. This museum is unique because it combines art, science, history, and amazing achievements all in one spot. It's even called the only museum of its kind in the United States!
The museum is a non-profit organization. This means it's not trying to make money. Instead, it's supported by people who donate and become members. The building itself is owned by Peoria County. This makes it a cool example of how private groups and public groups can work together.
The museum has five big galleries. It also has over 30 smaller areas. These spaces are always changing with new exhibits. You might see huge international shows or displays from the museum's own collection. It's also famous for its large planetarium. This planetarium has a 40-foot dome! There's also a film society with a 70-foot Giant Screen Theater. This is the biggest screen for a film society in the U.S.
The museum works with many famous partners. These include the Art Bridges Foundation and the Smithsonian. They also partner with big museums in New York. Some of these are the American Museum of Natural History and the Whitney Museum of American Art. The museum has a collection of 18,000 objects. These items are always being rotated for visitors to see. Some permanent displays include the Center for American Decoys. There's also "Bronzeville to Harlem: An American Story." The museum opened its 87,000-square-foot building on October 20, 2012. It took over from the Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, which started in 1965.
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What You Can See at the Museum
The Peoria Riverfront Museum has many different types of collections. These include beautiful fine art. You can see paintings, sculptures, and drawings. There's also decorative art like furniture, ceramics, and glass.
Folk Art and Natural Science
The museum also has a lot of folk art. This includes unique paintings and sculptures. You can also find ethnographic art. This means art from different cultures. Examples are Native American, African, and Asian art. For science lovers, there are natural science items. These include cool rocks, minerals, insects, and shells. History fans will enjoy historic items. One special item is an old Duryea Motor Wagon Company car.
The museum has a large collection of wildfowl decoy carvings. These are special folk art pieces.
The Solar System Model
The museum is home to the world's third largest scale model of the Solar System. The museum itself represents the Sun. The Sun model is 46 feet across! A small 5-inch model of the Earth is almost a mile away. Neptune, a much larger planet, is 28 miles away. The full model includes five dwarf planets. It also shows several comets around the globe.
An old civic clock from 1873 is also at the museum. It used to be in the third Peoria County Courthouse. Now, it helps the museum keep time. The museum building is also next to the historic Rock Island Depot and Freight House.
How the Museum Was Built
The Peoria Riverfront Museum building is very modern. It has a special LEED-Gold certification. This means it was built in an environmentally friendly way. The architects Dewberry and Williams Brothers Construction completed the building.
From Lakeview to Riverfront
The museum opened on October 20, 2012. It replaced the Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences. The Lakeview Museum was started in 1965 by local citizens. Its building was given to the Peoria Park District. However, the museum's operations remained private. The Lakeview Museum was located in Lakeview Park. It was also a home for over 50 clubs and hobby groups. These groups helped start the museum.
Leaders from the Lakeview Museum helped create the new Riverfront Museum. Their collections, trustees, and staff became the foundation for the new museum.
Funding and Visitors
The Peoria Riverfront Museum was built with money from private donations. The city of Peoria also donated the land. Voters in Peoria County approved a special sales tax to help with the building. The museum's daily operations are supported by donations and money earned from visitors. The building and land are owned by Peoria County. The museum leases them through a public-private partnership.
Visitors pay an admission fee unless they are members. Since it opened, the museum has welcomed about 150,000 visitors each year. After the 2020 pandemic shutdown, the museum also reached about 30,000 people online every week.
