FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 15, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT:
Mueller Communications, 414-390-5500
mpm@muellercommunications.com
MILWAUKEE PUBLIC MUSEUM COMPLETES VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION
OF THE NATURE & CULTURE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN
The Museum celebrated placement of the structure’s final steel beam with a topping-off ceremony
MILWAUKEE — Today, leaders from the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), project team leaders, local government officials and community partners celebrated a major milestone in the construction of its new home—the completion of the building’s vertical structure.
The final steel beam was signed by donors and local government officials before being lifted into place by a crane and secured at the highest point of the five-story structure. With the beam raised, the building officially reached its maximum height of 100 feet.
The Museum is on track to open in early 2027 and will be known as the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin. Once complete, the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin will feature five permanent, immersive exhibit galleries that build on MPM’s legacy of beloved collections and experiences, inviting visitors to explore the interconnectedness of human cultures and the natural world. Developed with the input of community members, curators, educators and scientists, these new galleries will showcase items from the current Milwaukee County-owned collections, spark imagination through hands-on features and hidden surprises and inspire curiosity about the people, places and species that shape our world.
“While today we celebrate the highest point of construction on our new museum, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who has helped bring this building to life and kept us on track for a 2027 opening,” MPM President & CEO Dr. Ellen Censky. “The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin will be a place of wonder, learning and connection for generations to come, and we’re thankful for all the partners who helped us reach this milestone in our construction story.”
Construction to date has involved more than 12,500 cubic yards of concrete, 1,400 tons of rebar and 72,000 bubble deck balls—an innovative construction tool that helps reduce the building’s carbon footprint and the weight of each floor while preserving structural integrity. Notably, the project has relied on the expertise of numerous Wisconsin-based subcontractors, including Belonger Corporation Inc. (in partnership with Grunau Company), Common Links Construction, CW Purpero, Doral Corporation, Duwe Metal Products, Grunau Company (in partnership with Belonger Corporation, Inc.), JCP Construction, Lee Mechanical, Lemberg Electric Company and Stonecast Products. Their contributions underscore the Museum’s efforts to leverage local connections while also supporting the state’s economy through job creation and investment in local businesses and tradespeople.
“Topping off the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin is a proud moment for everyone involved in this project,” said Mortenson Vice President, General Manager Kurt Theune. “This milestone reflects the incredible teamwork between skilled local tradespeople, partners and the Museum, all working together to build a unique space that will serve communities across Wisconsin for generations to come. We’re honored to help bring this vision to life and get more excited the closer we get to 2027.”
Crews will now shift their focus to installing 670 precast exterior panels, as well as completing construction of the parking structure. Designed and poured by Stonecast Products in Germantown, the panels are intended to mimic the beauty of Wisconsin’s natural landscapes—specifically the geological formations of Mill Bluff State Park—and continue to embed stories of the state’s natural history into the museum’s architecture. They vary in size and shape, with some weighing more than 30,000 pounds and reaching 35 feet tall. Exterior work on the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.
To learn more about the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, visit mpm.edu/future.
About the Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is Wisconsin’s natural history museum, welcoming visitors from all 72 Wisconsin counties, all 50 states, and from many countries around the globe. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the Museum was chartered in 1882, opened to the public in 1884, and currently houses more than 4 million objects in its collections. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rainforest, and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref Dome Theater & Planetarium. MPM is operated by Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc., a private, non-profit company, housed in a county-owned facility with collections that are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
About the Future Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin’s natural history museum, is relocating from its current location on Wells Street in downtown Milwaukee to a newly constructed building, set to open in early 2027. At that time, the museum will also change its name from Milwaukee Public Museum to the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin. The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin will be owned and operated by a private nonprofit, with collections items that are held in trust and supported by Milwaukee County for the benefit of the public.
The Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin reflects its role as a statewide institution and identifies it as a museum that explores the relationship between humans and their natural environment throughout time. The nearly 145-year-old institution will carry on its mission to inspire curiosity, excite minds, and increase desire to preserve and protect our world's natural and cultural diversity through exhibitions, educational programs, collections, and research.
Heavily influenced by the ecological histories of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the new museum’s design will be reminiscent of the geological formations in Mill Bluff State Park, emblematic of the region’s diverse landscapes formed by the movements of water through time. The building spans approximately 200,000 square feet, including five stories. An additional 50,000-square-foot collections storage building is located offsite.
To learn more about the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, visit mpm.edu/future.
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