The Bronzeville Center for the Arts (BCA) is moving forward with its long-envisioned African American Art and Culture Museum project, announcing this week that demolition of the existing structure at 2312 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will begin in June.
The teardown of the existing structure, a former state office building, marks the first visible step toward establishing what leaders call a “world-class cultural institution” in the heart of Milwaukee’s historic Bronzeville district.
While the museum’s full construction timeline remains uncertain due to ongoing fundraising needs, BCA leaders say the start of demolition represents a turning point.
“This is more than a demolition—it’s the beginning of a transformative journey for Bronzeville and for Milwaukee,” said Kristen Hardy, chair of the BCA board of directors. “We are thoughtfully moving forward to create a space that honors the legacy of African American art and culture, while inviting the community to be part of every stage of the process.”
The demolition, expected to wrap up by September, will make way for a temporary green space designed with community input. While plans are still in early stages, BCA and its development partner, Milwaukee-based Emem Group, hope to activate the space through public art, programming and other community uses.
The museum, which has been in the works for about five years, is projected to cost between $50 million and $60 million. According to BCA managing director John Russick, inflation and potential tariffs have pushed those estimates higher over time.
“We’re still working on sort of honing the notions of what we want to display and how we want to display the work,” said Russick. “Here at Gallery 507, we’re anticipating that all of what we’re doing here will help us be in a better position to install exhibition at the museum.”
Gallery 507, located just a few doors from the future museum site, currently houses rotating exhibitions and functions as something of an incubator for the museum’s future curatorial work, BCA leadership said.
BCA leadership said the project will serve as a critical anchor in the revitalization of the Bronzeville district.
“We’ve always been very engaged, very determined, and we’ve had nothing but a positive attitude from the beginning,” said Mutope Johnson, BCA director of creative engagement and partnerships.
Aside from an initial anonymous gift and $5 million in state funding announced in 2023, Russick described BCA’s fundraising efforts thus far as “low key,” but said the organization will ramp up its fundraising campaign when it has established itself into the neighborhood further.
“The goal is to launch the fundraising campaign in earnest when we feel like we’ve given people enough of a reason to see the proof of our our passions,” Johnson said. “Gallery 507 has become a soft entry point for us to enter into the community. We can collect that data, implement ideas, find out what really works, scale it up for the larger site when we finally get there.”
