Public Museum Gets New $2 Million Donation

Rendering of new museum viewed from the west side of N. 6th St. Rendering by Kahler Slater.

The Milwaukee Public Museum revealed the source of a $2 million donation to the future museum project.

Ross Read, a former museum board member, and his wife Mary donated $2 million to the museum’s endowment. This fund will support future operations, but not the construction of the planned $240 million museum at the corner of 6th and McKinley. And that’s not uncommon: 18% of every donation to the museum is for its endowment. Read is also chair of the endowment fund.

This donation and others for endowment and operations come on top of those for the building. Including $40 million from the state and $45 million from the county, the museum has approximately $148 million to put toward the new museum. The capital campaign for the new building remains approximately $92 million short of its fundraising goals. Construction is planned to begin in early 2024 with the museum open by late 2026 or early 2027.

“The Reads’ commitment to the sustainability of the Future Museum is admirable, and we are humbled by their decision to put their gift toward our endowment fund,” Ellen Censky, museum president and CEO said in a statement. “Although contributions to our endowment fund won’t pay for the brick and mortar of our new building, they are integral to ensuring the institution is well-maintained after it is built and guaranteeing that it will stay that way for generations of families to enjoy.”

The Reads’ donation will also fund a staff position at the museum, which will be named for the two wealthy, old Milwaukee families that Ross descends from, the Chesters and the Reads. Jackie Schweitzer is now the the Chester Read Curator of History Collections, having served as the History Collections Manager since 2018.

The Reads come from a museum-supporting family, Ross’ father, the late Verne Read, was president of the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Museum. And members of the Read family have served on the board since the 1960s.

“Many members of our families, the Chesters and the Reads, have been committed to the Milwaukee Public Museum,” Ross Read said in a statement. “From donating objects to display in the Streets of Old Milwaukee to serving in volunteer capacities, this institution holds an important place in our hearts and our personal histories, and we are excited to witness history in the making as it transitions to its new home.”

The new museum will be developed on a 2.4-acre site on the southwest corner of N. 6th Street and W. McKinley Avenue. Designs call for a five-story, 20,000-square-foot building. New exhibits and galleries are being designed by Thinc Design, a New York-based firm.