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Exterior construction work for new Milwaukee Public Museum expected to finish this year

By
Samantha Dietel
-
Construction work at the future Milwaukee Public Museum site in January 2025. Submitted photo.

With the help of more than 30 Wisconsin-based construction companies, exterior construction work on the future Milwaukee Public Museum is expected to finish by the end of the year, MPM announced on Thursday.

The museum is set to open in 2027.

Construction began at the site, located at the corner of Sixth and McKinley streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to downtown Milwaukee, last summer. Minneapolis-based construction firm M.A. Mortenson Co. and Butler-based ALLCON are leading the construction project.

Concrete has been poured for the first two stories of the five-story building, the museum said today.

“The Milwaukee Public Museum has always been Wisconsin’s museum of natural history. Throughout our 142-year history and in each of our three locations, the museum has always been uplifted by the work of Wisconsinites – from the community members who have influenced exhibit creation to the scientists who gathered collections items across the state and the researchers here at MPM and Wisconsin universities who continue to generate new knowledge from the artifacts and specimens in our care,” said MPM president and chief executive officer Ellen Censky. “As the future home of this institution is constructed, MPM is proud to continue that legacy of local connection and Wisconsin pride, while also supporting the state’s economy through job creation and support for local businesses and tradespeople.”

The area construction companies supporting the museum project include:

  • Arbon Equipment Corporation: A Rite-Hite Company (Milwaukee)
  • B V Tetzlaff (Brookfield)
  • Belonger Corporation, Inc., in partnership with Grunau Company (West Bend)
  • Central Door Solutions (Plover and New Berlin)
  • Common Links Construction (Brookfield)
  • CornerStoneOne (Brookfield)
  • CW Purpero (Oak Creek)
  • Doral Corporation (Milwaukee)
  • Duwe Metal Products (Menomonee Falls)
  • Gateway Concrete Forming Systems (Port Washington)
  • Grunau Company, in partnership with Belonger Corporation, Inc. (Oak Creek)
  • JCP Construction (Milwaukee)
  • JM Brennan (Milwaukee)
  • JWC Building Specialties (Hartland)
  • Klein-Dickert (Pewaukee)
  • KMI Construction (New Berlin)
  • L&A Crystal (Grafton)
  • Lee Mechanical (Franklin)
  • Lemberg Electric Company (Brookfield)
  • Lifetime Radon Solutions (Delafield)
  • PCF-CLC, a Postorino Construction Finishes and Common Links Construction joint venture (Sturtevant)
  • Reynolds Rigging & Crane Service (Madison)
  • Stonecast Products (Germantown)
  • TK Elevators (Menomonee Falls)
  • Watt Construction (Milwaukee)
  • Wells Concrete (Waukesha)
  • Zenith Tech (Waukesha)

Mortenson contracted BelongGru, a partnership between Belonger and Grunau, to install mechanical systems designed to regulate heating, cooling and humidity for the different museum exhibits and collection spaces.

“With more than 100 years of combined experience, we are honored and excited to bring our expertise and the dedication of our diverse team to collaborate with Mortenson,” Grunau Company senior project manager John Buckentin said. “Together, we look forward to delivering a one-of-a-kind building with unparalleled exhibit spaces for Milwaukee and the surrounding Wisconsin communities.”

More than 40 other companies are involved with the project through design, administration or packing.

Fundraising update

The $240 million project has been promised $45 million in public funding from Milwaukee County and another $40 million from the State of Wisconsin. MPM is responsible for raising the remaining $150 million from private donors.

MPM has raised $105 million in private donations so far, according to today’s news release. It has also secured $86 million in total public funding. Fundraising for the project will continue into 2027.

Construction of the building itself will cost approximately $200 million. The remaining funds for the project will cover the costs to move the collections from the existing building, provide millions for the museum’s endowment — money that would essentially go towards running the new museum — and pay for project management and the ongoing fundraising campaign.

Milwaukee Public Museum rendering for its $240 million new museum building and campus under construction on a 2.4-acre site at corner of 6th Street and McKinley Avenue in the Haymarket neighborhood near downtown Milwaukee. (Ennead Architects/Kahler Slater)
Samantha Dietel
Samantha covers education, healthcare and nonprofits for BizTimes. She recently graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a journalism degree. She wrote for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, and covered Congress as an intern at States Newsroom’s Washington, D.C. bureau. She loves exploring new cities, listening to music and watching Star Wars.
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With the help of more than 30 Wisconsin-based construction companies, exterior construction work on the future Milwaukee Public Museum is expected to finish by the end of the year, MPM announced on Thursday. The museum is set to open in 2027. Construction began at the site, located at the corner of Sixth and McKinley streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to downtown Milwaukee, last summer. Minneapolis-based construction firm M.A. Mortenson Co. and Butler-based ALLCON are leading the construction project. Concrete has been poured for the first two stories of the five-story building, the museum said today. “The Milwaukee Public Museum has always been Wisconsin’s museum of natural history. Throughout our 142-year history and in each of our three locations, the museum has always been uplifted by the work of Wisconsinites – from the community members who have influenced exhibit creation to the scientists who gathered collections items across the state and the researchers here at MPM and Wisconsin universities who continue to generate new knowledge from the artifacts and specimens in our care,” said MPM president and chief executive officer Ellen Censky. “As the future home of this institution is constructed, MPM is proud to continue that legacy of local connection and Wisconsin pride, while also supporting the state’s economy through job creation and support for local businesses and tradespeople.” The area construction companies supporting the museum project include: [gallery size="meccarouselthumb" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="606316,606315,606317"] Mortenson contracted BelongGru, a partnership between Belonger and Grunau, to install mechanical systems designed to regulate heating, cooling and humidity for the different museum exhibits and collection spaces. “With more than 100 years of combined experience, we are honored and excited to bring our expertise and the dedication of our diverse team to collaborate with Mortenson,” Grunau Company senior project manager John Buckentin said. “Together, we look forward to delivering a one-of-a-kind building with unparalleled exhibit spaces for Milwaukee and the surrounding Wisconsin communities.” More than 40 other companies are involved with the project through design, administration or packing. Fundraising update The $240 million project has been promised $45 million in public funding from Milwaukee County and another $40 million from the State of Wisconsin. MPM is responsible for raising the remaining $150 million from private donors. MPM has raised $105 million in private donations so far, according to today's news release. It has also secured $86 million in total public funding. Fundraising for the project will continue into 2027. Construction of the building itself will cost approximately $200 million. The remaining funds for the project will cover the costs to move the collections from the existing building, provide millions for the museum’s endowment — money that would essentially go towards running the new museum — and pay for project management and the ongoing fundraising campaign. [caption id="attachment_552508" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Milwaukee Public Museum rendering for its $240 million new museum building and campus under construction on a 2.4-acre site at corner of 6th Street and McKinley Avenue in the Haymarket neighborhood near downtown Milwaukee. (Ennead Architects/Kahler Slater)[/caption]
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