Chicago Scenic is partnering with an impressive team of collaborators in the planning, design, and fabrication of the new 26,000 sq. ft. Children’s Museum of Eau Claire (CMEC) in Wisconsin. This is an exciting next chapter for a museum that is also a powerful magnet for visitors to downtown Eau Claire.
CMEC will open in a new building just six blocks from its current location. Groundbreaking on the new building is planned for Fall 2021 and the museum targets Fall of 2022 for a grand re-opening.
“Excitement is building across our region for the new CMEC— and that’s helped along considerably by what people have already seen in the design plans,” said Michael McHorney, Executive Director of CMEC. “Response to our fundraising has been overwhelming: We’ve raised nearly 60% of our target goal already—and many repeat donors are giving their largest gifts ever, a true sign of how the community is rallying around our goal of creating a fantastic community institution in the heart of Eau Claire,” he added.
Preliminary work on the new museum has been underway for months, with Chicago Scenic joined in the early planning stages by JRA, a design powerhouse and our longtime collaborator. JRA is providing master planning and design for the new CMEC, which will have a much larger footprint featuring new partnerships in STEAM education, and continuing the museum’s mission of inspiring children and adults to learn through play.
Chicago Scenic is leading fabrication and installation of CMEC’s wayfinding signage, exhibits, and installations – including an auto shop and racetrack, food truck and flower shop, indoor nature preserve, farm and ecology area (complete with chicken coop) and a fire station with an accompanying interactive water table. In addition to the indoor exhibits, the museum will have an outdoor play area and an adjoining pre-school onsite.
Other project partners include Boss Display—well known for their imaginative water display interactives—and Media Dynamics, a frequent and creative audio-visual provider.
Images of design concepts courtesy of JRA.
