Milwaukee Public Museum responds to questions about fate of current exhibits

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The Milwaukee Public Museum is rebranding as Wisconsin's Natural History Museum, and with construction set to begin on the new building this year, many are wondering which exhibits will be moved.

"I do understand progress, but for me, I would like it to stay," said Milwaukee resident Patti Cottonaro about her favorite exhibit, "The Streets of Old Milwaukee."

"The Streets of Old Milwaukee" exhibit opened in 1965 and is still cherished today.

"It's one of the things that's been the same since I was a little kid coming here every year. It would make me sad if we didn't have it anymore. I have many memories with people who aren't around anymore going through these exhibits. So, I would like to see it continue," Cottonaro said.

The museum's Facebook page has been filled with questions about the future of the beloved exhibit.

"I really hope it has the streets of old Milwaukee and the European village. Those exhibits are the main reason we as a family go and discover new things we didn’t see before in those exhibits. If you don’t have those exhibits, I’m not sure we will continue going."

"PLEASE do not get rid of Streets of Old Milwaukee. I can’t even explain how much my family loves it. It’s like being transported to another time/world, and the same with the other exhibits on other floors. It’s something you don’t find at other museums."

"My fav exhibit is the streets of old Milwaukee -- is that going to be in the new museum?"

The museum responded in a statement Monday saying, "While the exhibits will not look exactly as they do today, visitors can expect to see many of their MPM favorites from the current exhibits and collections."

Museumgoers like Cottonaro are hoping "The Streets of Old Milwaukee" is one of those exhibits.

"I feel like that's something that everybody really digs, you know? It's kind of like specific to Milwaukee," she said. "I mean, I'll still go check out the new one anyway, but it would be cool to see it in a new space."

The museum tells CBS 58 their plan is based on thousands of conversations, focus groups, and survey responses.

"We are humbled by the passion people bring to these conversations, and we understand the growing anticipation of what the future of the museum will look like. We will be able to put that anticipation to rest in spring of this year when we will share our exhibit plan publicly through official MPM channels," read the statement sent to CBS 58 by the museum.

The museum is also welcoming community feedback as they continue the exhibit process. They ask those interested in providing comments to email them at [email protected].