MILWAUKEE — The new Milwaukee Public Museum building may include the Betty Brinn Children's museum as a tenant, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported Wednesday.
The museums are pursuing an alliance that would align the two museums under one roof, the Business Journal said. The alliance has been a topic of conversation before, however, nothing came from it.
Now, though, with new leadership on both sides, the museums have decided to discuss the idea once again and see if there's any potential.
"It was something that I think both of us thought had real potential for the future, especially in the community, what it could be. We wanted to make sure that it was right for both institutions," said Milwaukee Public Museum CEO Ellen Censky.
TMJ4 News partner, the Milwaukee Business Journal, is reporting that these conversations began at the end of 2019 and continued until the beginning of the pandemic.
However, when the pandemic hit, the museums had to get creative and find new ways to discuss the alliance.
"It has not been an easy process just because of the complications of doing things remotely, but it was something clearly we all stuck to. It was something that we really felt we needed to pursue all the way to the end, whatever that end would be. We’re excited that the end is that we are co-locating together in the future," Censky said.
The news comes as the Milwaukee Public Museum plans to build a new building beginning in 2022, with plans to open in 2025. The Betty Brinn Children's Museum also has a lease ending in 2028.
According to the Business Journal, "the Milwaukee Public Museum still has not announced a location for the new site, which will now include the Betty Brinn Children's Museum as a tenant. Censky said the museum staff has been narrowing down locations and identified a potential site."
