The Wisconsin State Building Commission unanimously approved spending $9 million to purchase the building that currently houses the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and turn it into a new and improved state-of-the-art museum.
Purchasing the building, located on the Capitol Square at 22 and 30 W. Mifflin St, is just the next step in the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) plan to construct a new facility to preserve the state’s veteran history.
“I’m thrilled by the bipartisan support and goodwill shown to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum,” said WDVA Secretary-designee James Bond. “The museum is an exemplary steward of history, collecting and maintaining the artifacts and stories of those who wore the uniform while educating visitors on the importance of service and sacrifice. The new museum will secure our veteran's legacy for future generations.”
The building that houses the museum was originally built in 1948 as a department store, but the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs has been leasing about 28,300 square feet of space in the privately owned building since 1993.
The 10-story building is currently owned by Executive Management Inc. and the state’s lease allows a purchase before the lease expires.
Right now, the museum can only display about 3 percent of its collection. The proposed new building would allow the museum to display at least 20 percent to 25 percent.
The collections of the museum have expanded significantly over the years, to more than 26,000 artifacts, including significant collections transferred from the State Historical Society and the Wisconsin National Guard.
The archives, manuscripts and photographic collections display more than 1,700 Civil War photographs and more than 1,200 letters and diaries. The museum archives also house more than 5,000 books and periodicals related to military and veterans’ history, as well as over 2,800 oral history interviews.
The new five-story museum has an estimated price tag of $140 million, around $40 million of which is planned to come from private donations raised by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation.
“At the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation, we are excited and very appreciative of the recent action taken by the State Building Commission to approve the purchase of the current Wisconsin Veterans Museum site,” said WVM Foundation President Dan Checki. “We look forward to raising the additional private donations necessary to support the new Museum construction project at 30 West Mifflin Street.”
The museum plans to break ground on the new construction in 2027.
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