The Milwaukee Public Museum completed vertical construction of its new five-story building with a topping-off ceremony on July 15, 2025.
Set to open in 2027, the $240 million, 200,000-square-foot museum will be renamed the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin.
The project uses sustainable design features and local contractors, including precast panels inspired by Mill Bluff State Park.
The Milwaukee Public Museum’s new home, soon to be known as the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, reached a construction milestone with the completion of its 100-foot vertical structure, museum officials announced Tuesday.
The achievement was marked by a ceremonial topping off, as the final steel beam, signed by donors, city officials, and project leaders, was hoisted into place atop the five-story, 100-foot-high building at North Sixth Street and West McKinley Avenue.
An exterior rendering of the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin is shown on the street level. Image: Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin (Milwaukee Public Museum)
The $240 million, 200,000-square-foot facility is being built with a strong focus on local engagement. Multiple Wisconsin-based subcontractors, including Belonger Corporation Inc., Common Links Construction, CW Purpero, and Stonecast Products, have contributed expertise to the project.
So far, construction has used over 12,500 cubic yards of concrete, 1,400 tons of rebar, and 72,000 bubble deck balls.
Five-story structure, four floors of exhibits
Rooftop terrace and enclosed butterfly garden
Planetarium, gift shop, and café
Green space and attached parking garage
A ceremonial white beam is shown in a topping-off ceremony at the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin construction site in Milwaukee (formerly the Milwaukee Public Museum). The beam was hoisted atop the five-story, 100-foot-high building at North Sixth Street and West McKinley Avenue on July 15, 2025. Image: Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin
Museum president and CEO Dr. Ellen Censky expressed gratitude at the event, saying in a statement, “This milestone reflects the incredible teamwork between skilled local tradespeople, partners, and the Museum, all working together to build a unique space that will serve communities across Wisconsin for generations to come.”
In February of this year, the Milwaukee Public Museum, in collaboration with construction partners Mortenson and ALLCON, announced that “more than 70 Wisconsin-based companies are now powering the largest cultural project in state history.”
The next phase involves installing 670 precast exterior panels designed and made by Germantown, Wisconsin-based Stonecast Products to mimic Wisconsin’s natural geological features like those found at Mill Bluff State Park.
Some precast panels measure up to 35 feet tall and weigh over 30,000 pounds.
An image of the precast panels built for the Milwaukee Public Museum construction project is shown in an undated photo from building product manufacturer Stonecrest Products. Image: Stonecrest Products
In an April LinkedIn post, Stonecrest Products said, “This project is the result of a collaborative effort among several different companies working together to bring this remarkable and visually striking building to life.”
Exterior construction is expected to conclude by the end of 2025, as crews turn their focus to interior buildout and final preparations for opening day, officials said.
The design team is headed by New York-based Ennead Architects, known for its diverse portfolio of cultural, academic, civic, and commercial projects, and its sustainable and collaborative approach to architecture.
The new Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin will replace the current Milwaukee Public Museum and feature five immersive exhibit galleries. The exhibits, developed with contributions from local curators, educators, and community leaders, will combine the museum’s legacy collections with new hands-on features.
According to museum officials, the exhibit installations will be completed in late 2026, and the museum is scheduled to open to the public in early 2027.
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