Room to Play
Project Update | Spring 2016
U N D E R C R E AT I V E C O N S T R U C T I O N Just like the children who visit Minnesota Children’s Museum, our expansion and renovation project is moving FAST! We’re only a few months into construction and already certain areas of the Museum are unrecognizable. While it is bittersweet to say farewell to beloved experiences, our young visitors don’t seem to mind. One mention of the new fire truck exhibit or the four-story climber that is on its way, and they’re sold! But we’re not making them wait a year for fun new experiences. Throughout construction, the Museum is finding creative ways to ensure a consistently positive visitor experience.
We transformed a conference room next to the Atrium into a mini-version of the Our World gallery (reusing a variety of components) and turned an adjoining office into a Surprise Room with constantly changing activities. A classroom on the fourth floor is now a superhero green screen experience. Best of all, we’re giving kids a front row seat to observe real construction workers in action. Windows throughout the Museum as well as “peep holes” in the construction walls provide a perfect preview of what’s coming next spring.
Phase 1: Underway The most obvious change to our building is a 1,500 squarefoot, four-story expansion along West Seventh Street. The new space will house a soaring climbing structure called The Scramble, as well as a new elevator. A new foundation and elevator pit were dug and filled with concrete. A steel frame was recently erected as construction begins on the glass “curtain wall� which will encase The Scramble, making this incredible new play structure fully visible to those passing by on foot or in their vehicles. Generous support for The Scramble provided by the Martin and Esther Capp Family Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation.
Timeline Board of Directors establishes Capital Expansion Advisory Committee (June 2012)
2012
Research partnership with University of Minnesota formed (November 2012)
Exhibit Master Plan completed (April 2013)
2013
$14 million in State support secured (May 2014)
2014
Making More Space to Span the Spectrum of Learning A new second floor Box Office on the skyway level will replace one of our former traveling exhibit galleries. With the majority of our family visitors arriving through the skyway, this new Box Office will improve visitor flow immensely. School groups will continue to use the first floor entrance, creating fewer traffic jams at the Box Office.
Cubicles, carpeting and office walls have been removed from the Museum’s former administrative offices on the first floor to reveal a large, light-filled space, which will soon become Forces at Play in the new 3M Gallery. Drainage pipes were installed for the new Car Wash Bonanza exhibit. A door was built at the far end of the gallery which will open up to a new outdoor space for visitors. All about STEM learning, this new gallery will be the first to open upon completion of our first phase of construction. New components such as Airborne and Water Graffiti are being fabricated off-site and will start arriving in the next few months. Formerly a two-story gallery, we have infilled the second story in this space to create a new floor above. During the second phase of construction, this new third floor space will feature travelling exhibits — including Thomas & Friends™: Explore the Rails. Once construction is complete, it will become the home of our new administrative offices. Support columns on lower floors were first reinforced to carry the added weight. Steel beams and concrete floors quickly followed and now we’re framing walls, cutting new windows and re-routing old piping.
Forces at Play 3M Gallery
Groundbreaking ceremony Construction and Statewide Day of Play Phase 1 began (October 2015) (December 2015)
2015
Construction Phase 2 begins, Forces at Play and New Box Office open (August 2016)
2016
Construction Phase 3 begins, Museum closes to visitors (December 2016)
Grand Opening (April 2017)
2017
Prototyping has been a key component of this project. As brand new galleries and exhibits are developed, we test many of these experiences with visitors. Museum staff observe visitor interactions and seek feedback in order to make adjustments before the final product is created. Right now we’re prototyping hand-felted food props and a fun bike activity for the new Our World in the Best Buy Gallery.
The entire footprint of the former Our World gallery is under-going big changes. The spot that featured a pretend Korean restaurant will be expanded into a new café serving real food (and coffee!). A new retail store will also share the space. And don’t worry, Our World isn’t going away. It is simply moving to the fourth floor, where visitors will find new experiences like a fire truck, hardware store and light rail car.
Key Facts • 10 new galleries, including a 4-story climbing tower and 2 outdoor spaces • 35% more visitor space • New visitor amenities including more bathrooms, additional elevator and a café • Our Vision: Kids play more. Adults do, too. We thrive as a happier, healthier, and more innovative community through the radiant power of play.
Phase 2: Begins August 2016 The second phase of construction will begin late in the summer, after opening our new Box Office and Forces at Play. During this phase, we will continue transforming old galleries into new ones. World Works will become Sprouts (a bigger, better Habitot速); Earth World will become the new Our World (with a fire truck,
Creativity Jam
hardware store and light rail car); and Habitot will become The Studio (an ever-changing maker space). The Museum will briefly close to visitors for the third and final phase of construction, then re-open in April 2017 with a grand celebration!
Our World
Target Gallery
Best Buy Gallery
The Studio
Tiptop Terrace
The Backyard
Imaginopolis
Sprouts
Super Awesome Adventures
Target Gallery
Ecolab Gallery
Campaign Donors Signature Gifts
3M Foundation Best Buy Foundation State of Minnesota City of St. Paul Cultural STAR Program Target Foundation
Premier Gifts
Anonymous Martin and Esther Capp Family Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Ecolab Foundation General Mills Foundation Martha MacMillan
Leadership Gifts
Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Hugh J. Andersen Foundation Andersen Corporate Foundation Anonymous F.R. Bigelow Foundation The Driscoll Foundation Hardenbergh Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services Mardag Foundation Ordway Family: Cedar Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation Dellwood Foundation, Inc. Carl & Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation The Saint Paul Foundation Securian Foundation William Schmoker Family Foundation Terri Tersteeg and Jim Peterson Thrivent Financial Foundation Travelers Foundation Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota
Major Gifts
Tom and Amara Abood Charlene and Mark Altman Anonymous John and Kelly Baker Family The Otto Bremer Trust Patrick and Aimee Butler Family Foundation Sarah Ross Caruso Chad and Maggie Dayton Katharine and Douglas Donaldson Emerson Process Management – Rosemount Division Ann Ferreira and Jon Reissner HT Fish and Kathryn Nelson Marialice and Nevin Harwood Family Nancy and Robert Hatch The Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation Rick and Gretchen Jelinek John Larsen Foundation Amy and Bill McKinney The McKoy Family William and Martha Rappaport Meyers Susan Oberman Smith and Doug Smith I.A. O’Shaughnessy Foundation Suzanne C. and William B. Payne
Rahr Corporation James L. Reissner Family Foundation Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Ann Simonds and Ken Rosenblum Helene and Jeff Slocum Ed and Valerie Spencer Toro Foundation U.S. Bancorp Foundation Lillian Wright & C. Emil Berglund Foundation
Supporters
Beaverdale Foundation Brad and Holly Boehne Ann and Mike Brilley and Family Betsy Buehrer Cashill Family Terry and Sarah Clark Joel and Melissa Conaway John and Gretchen Corkrean Kristi and Jeff Fox Allison and Scott Gage Janel Goff, Goff Investment Group Trisha Homans Dianne and Scott Krizan Philip and Sarah Krump The Longview Foundation – Lucy and Bob Mitchell Beth and Nathaniel Opperman Marcia Page and John Huepenbecker David and Laura Quigg Carleen Rhodes Phil & Schele Smith Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation Cassidy and Andrew Steiner Jon and Lea Theobald Think Mutual Bank Ronda and Rodney Wescott
Wade and Renee Lau Stephen and Ann Masten Arlene and Michael McHugh Kate and Ian McRoberts Jennifer Moll and Tim Bolan Rochelle and Colin Myers Joy and Christopher Newborg Laura Nichols-Endres and Jake Endres Joseph Olson and Lisa Foss Olson Rhoda and Paul Redleaf Amy and Kenneth Saldanha Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation Steven and Suzanne Stensrud Carley and William Stuber Carolyn Taylor Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation Stephen and Sara Zawoyski Campaign Donor roster recognizes gifts of $1,000 and greater. This list is current as of April 14, 2016. We have made every effort to ensure accuracy and ask that you contact Clayton Smith, Development Officer with any questions or corrections at 651-225-6044. Photography: Bruce Silcox
Fundraising Update $29,183,782.33
New Market Tax Credits: 10.4%
Raised to-date (as of March 15, 2016) $823,482 needed to reach $30 million goal
Friends
Robert and Jeannine Befidi Steve Christenson and Lisa Hondros Michelle and Michael Conklin Karyl and Dan Corcoran Jay and Page Cowles Larry and Beth Crosby Dr. Francis and Holly Denis Liz Deziel and Tom Stukel Lisa Poseley Duff Paul and Jennifer Dzubnar Lisa Farrell Michael and Brandy Fiddelke Helen and Jim Franczyk James and Laura Grant Great Clips Incorporated Hema Gunasekaran Barbara Hahn and Paul Neseth Patrick and Laura Harris Taylor and Sara Harwood John Heizer Sara Hill and Jonathan Glover Bob Ingrassia and Lida Poletz Paul and Carey Kasbohm Margaret H. & James E. Kelley Foundation, Inc. Eric and Katherine Kirchner Alexandra and Robert Klas
Individuals: 10.6%
State of Minnesota: 46.7%
Corporations, Foundations, Government: 29.6%
Minnesota Children’s Museum is still raising funds in order to fully realize our vision for each new gallery and exhibit. Every new gift going forward means a richer, more impactful learning experience for our visitors. For information on how you can support this project, please visit mcm.org/RoomToPlay or contact Clayton Smith, Development Officer at 651-225-6044 or csmith@mcm.org.