At noon on Friday, October 17th the Milwaukee Art Museum held an official groundbreaking ceremony for the “Plan for the Future Campaign” atrium addition and renovation at 700 North Art Museum Drive on Milwaukee’s beautiful lakefront. Hunzinger Construction Company has been selected to serve as the self-performing construction manager for this 17,000 square foot addition and 100,000 square foot renovation of the Milwaukee Art Museum. HGA architects Milwaukee office is serving as project designers and Steve Chamberlin of The Chamberlin Group is the owner’s representative.
The groundbreaking ceremony was well attended by arts patrons, the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Board of Trustees, and staff. The Director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, Daniel Keegan, welcomed the guests and dignitaries and introduced a number of speakers including Donald Baumgartner of the Leadership Committee, initial donor Shel Lubar and County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic. The Leadership Committee was acknowledged for their foresight and commitment to the “Plan for the Future Campaign”. Members include Donald and Donna Baumgartner, Marianne and Shel Lubar, Joel Quadracci and Bud and Sue Selig. County Executive Chris Abele, The Bradley Foundation, The Hertzfeld Foundation and Kaiser Foundation were all credited with supporting the renovation and expansion project that should be completed in the fall of 2015.
In May, the Milwaukee Art Museum released a new design that adds wall-to-wall windows overlooking Lake Michigan on the ground floor of the addition and exterior panels with a natural metal finish. The addition onto the eastern end of the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center complex is part of a broader renovation that includes $10 million in repairs and renovations. The new addition will have earthy-toned metal panels matching the original War Memorial building and will patina over time with exposure to the elements, in contrast to the white Quadracci Pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava, which is intended to be gleaming white forever.
