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Children's museum details plans for new location

The Capital Times  —  5/12/2008 4:00 pm

The Madison Children's Museum unveiled plans for its new home Monday to a crowd of local civic leaders who museum officials hope will help send its capital fund drive to the $10 million goal.

The popular downtown museum, now located at the top of State Street, will move to its new location at another corner of the Square as soon as J.H. Findorff & Son remodels the 79-year-old, 41,570-square-foot building that was a gift from W. Jerome Frautschi and his wife Pleasant Rowland. The couple bought the building at 100 N. Hamilton St. for $5 million when the museum wasn't able to locate in the Overture Center, as was originally hoped.

The building has housed everything from the U.S. Armed Forces Institute to a Montgomery Ward retail store. It most recently served as temporary offices for state workers displaced by the remodeling of the State Capitol.

Ruth Shelly, the museum's executive director, told the crowd gathered on the sidewalk in front of the building that more than $5.8 million of the $10 million goal has already been raised. Bill and Jan DeAtley of Mount Horeb have donated $1 million to the project and the Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times, has pledged $500,000 toward the goal.

A group of toddlers was on hand to unfurl a banner on the Capitol Square side of the building, proclaiming the building the museum's new home and launching the "Ready, Set ... Grow!" capital campaign.

The remodeled building will greatly expand the museum's exhibit space and provide extra space for creative and hands-on activities. The roof will be turned into an outdoor garden with other attractions for children, including a bird's-eye view of the State Capitol on one side and Lake Mendota on the other.

Nearly 100,000 kids are expected to visit the new museum every year.

The Capital Times  —  5/12/2008 4:00 pm