MILWAUKEE, WI – Discovery World announced a major expansion and renovation to the lakefront facility
that will begin in late summer 2017. The project will add nearly 20,000 square feet of accessible public space to the center.
Set to break ground in August, the first phase of the project features a 10,000 square foot expansion that will
be located on Discovery World’s north lawn. The versatile pavilion will serve a variety of purposes, such as
providing lunchroom space for visiting school groups, expanding available educational space for field trips
and summer camps, offering opportunities to host special events and weddings, and showcasing large
traveling technology or freshwater exhibits. The lead gift for the expansion has been provided through a
generous gift by the Reiman Family Foundation and the first phase of the project will be completed and
open by the middle of 2018.
The second phase of the expansion will significantly reshape major exhibit space and reimagine the ways in
which visitors engage with the facility. When fully functioning, the improvements will double the amount of
exhibit and program space currently available in the Discovery World Technology Wing. The project will
result in the transformation of one of the facility’s two theaters into a new Grand Entrance and Exhibit
Gallery as well as open a Mezzanine Level previously inaccessible to the public. Two new permanent exhibit
experiences will be added, including a new 5,000 sq. ft. exhibit focusing on public health, medical research
and careers in health care. The work on phase two will begin in 2017 and, pending additional financial
commitments, is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
“Working with our community partners, we have formulated a vision for an exciting and transformational
project that will help shape our organization’s future for the next 20 years and allow us to have a more
significant impact on kids in our community,” said Joel Brennan, Discovery World CEO & President. “Through
these changes, we will be able to provide access to a significantly larger number of visitors and students
each year, we will gain additional earned revenue to build and maintain the facility and our programs, and
we will be able to deepen our focus on providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) Education for the schools and kids who most need interactive education in our community.”
“While these exciting investments will make the building more attractive and effective for even the most
casual visitor, this investment is about our mission to improve educational outcomes in our community.
Because of the versatility and sustainability that this project will provide, our team will be able to deliver
even more high-focus programs that immerse students in STEM programs for hours at a time and direct their
energy toward real word applications and job skills.”
The investments in Discovery World will be funded through private contributions from individuals and
foundations. The lead gift for the project funding has been provided by the Reiman Family Foundation; that
gift and other commitments will enable the work to get underway in 2017. The full project budget is
approximately $18 million, and the fundraising campaign is currently underway to ensure that the work can
be completed by the end of 2018.
For more information on the Discovery World expansion campaign, click here.
