In case you missed it, Milwaukee Public Museum‘s new natural history museum—temporarily dubbed the “Future Museum”—is currently under construction on the corner of Sixth and McKinley streets in downtown Milwaukee.

Work on the five-story museum, its attached three-story parking garage, and an outdoor plaza is on schedule for completion in late 2026. Opening is scheduled for early 2027. The current Milwaukee Public Museum will remain open throughout the process, barring a short transition period. After that, it’ll be gone forever. (GET YOUR VISITS IN NOW.)


MPM and construction company Mortenson gave a tour of the Future Museum construction site on Thursday. Crews are currently prepping the second floor of the museum for a concrete pour. Mortenson will continue prepping and pouring concrete throughout winter and into spring. Work began in summer 2024, following a spring 2024 groundbreaking ceremony.


So yeah, everything is on schedule and consistent with the past year of MPM’s messaging. Similarly, nothing has changed as to what will be inside the museum. Artifacts will make the move; full exhibits will not. The Future Museum’s future exhibits have all been previewed, however, including a Streets of Old Milwaukee successor called Milwaukee Revealed.


And yes, they’re going to have a new Snake Button. You can read our extensive MPM coverage below.

Rendering of Future Museum

Model of Future Museum

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