'It speaks to the uniqueness of Wisconsin': MPM's 'Future Museum' on schedule

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — The Milwaukee Public Museum has completed the foundation work on its new home.

Under its temporary name, the Future Museum broke ground six months ago on the corner of 6th and McKinley in downtown Milwaukee.

"The construction process is long; it's not a simple endeavor to build a museum. It's also not a simple endeavor to build such a uniquely designed construct," said Katie Sanders, chief planning officer, Milwaukee Public Museum.

The museum's design is inspired by Mill Bluff State Park in central Wisconsin.

"This building really speaks to the uniqueness of Wisconsin," said Sanders.

Sanders says many features will stay the same, but the new design will allow for versatility.

"The planetarium will have a flat floor instead of stadium seating, so that we can use it as an event space," said Sanders.

There will also be a three-story parking structure and a plaza or greenspace.

"That's something we don't really have right now, it's a critical element of a natural history museum," said Sanders.

Vice president and general manager of Mortenson, the construction company overseeing the project, says this is a once-in-a-career kind of project.

"We are going to stick the landing on this one because this is the building that everybody else is going to remember for the next 50, 75, 100 years," said Kurt Theune, VP and general manager of Mortenson.

He emphasized the importance of keeping the materials local.

"Out of our 42, 43 trade partners that we will hire on this project, 38 of them are based right here in Wisconsin," said Theune.

The Future Museum is on track to open to the public in early 2027.