MPM Announces Closing Date for Current Museum

Milwaukee Public Museum. Photo taken March 8th, 2017 by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee Public Museum will officially close on Jan. 4, 2027.

Fans of the museum and its distinctive exhibition style have a little over a year to visit the museum at 800 W. Wells St. Its closing will be followed by the opening of its replacement, the new Nature and Culture Museum of Wisconsin, currently under construction at 1310 N. 6th St.

“We are thrilled to be able to remain open for all of 2026 and give MPM fans near and far an entire year yet to make memories in the current building,” said MPM President & CEO Dr. Ellen Censky. “This next year promises to be the most exciting and worthwhile time to become a member, as we pack in as many unique experiences as possible for visitors during this museum location’s final farewell.”

The museum’s final year will be celebrated with a slate of five month-long special exhibitions MPM is calling the “Greatest Hits.” The year will begin with programming built around the museum’s “Crossroads of Civilization” exhibit and it will end with holiday decorations for the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and the “European Village.”

MPM is in the midst of packing up the museum’s substantial collections — 4 million items — for the move to the new museum. The non-profit, which has operated the county-owned public museum since the 1990s, after more than a century of public ownership and management by the city and then the county, has spent more than a decade planning for, designing and building the new museum.

Once opened, the new five-story museum will have five new permanent galleries. MPM worked with consultants from Thinc Design to develop the new galleries, and they are currently being fabricated by Kubik Maltbie a New Jersey-based exhibit production company.

“Greatest Hits” Programming in 2026

Ancient Civilizations: Jan. 10-Feb. 14

A celebration of “Crossroads of Civilization” which looks at ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia.

Diorama-RAMA: March 14-April 17

The famous and distinctive “Milwaukee-style” dioramas of the Milwaukee Public Museum will take center stage. “Muskrats” by by taxidermist Carl Akeley will serve is the inspiration for “several fresh, engaging programs and interactive events that put a fun twist on some of the Museum’s oldest displays,” according to MPM.

Rainforest & Butterflies: May 7-June 6

The massively popular “Rainforest” exhibit and the “Puelicher Butterfly Vivarium” will be the focus in May, exhibiting the planet’s biodiversity. 

Dino Days of Summer: July 11-Aug. 6

The museum is planning a series of programs around its Dinosary fossils and exhibits, ranging from “examining real fossils to competing in T. Rex trivia,” according to MPM

“Streets of Old Milwaukee” and “European Village”: October through December

MPM said it wants to “close out the year with a bang.” It will do this with holiday decorations in the popular 20th century streetscapes.

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