Children's Museum of Rock County receives anonymous $250,000 matching pledge

JANESVILLE -- The Children’s Museum of Rock County announced Tuesday that it has received a $250,000 matching pledge.

The unnamed donor will match all donations received between now and Dec. 31, up to the $250,000 pledge amount. This gift comes in the final stages of the Museum’s $10 million "Let’s PLAY Together," capital campaign.

Campaign funds will be used to remake the historical First National Bank at 100 W. Milwaukee St. in downtown Janesville into a children’s museum.

“We were left speechless by this generous pledge,” said John Westphal, Children's Museum of Rock County board president and capital campaign chair. “This gift demonstrates the giving spirit of our community and its unwavering commitment to our efforts to build a children’s museum. With this pledge and other recent gifts, we are quickly closing in on the $9 million mark.”

The proposed children’s museum will be an adaptive reuse of the old bank building, demolition of the old Chase bank addition, and construction of a new two-story addition. It will include a variety of play experiences, geared towards children ages 0-8, with opportunities for older children as well.

“Now is the time to donate folks,” Westphal said. “One-time donations and pledges can be made on our website and we welcome any questions potential donors have about our project and donation options.”

The Children’s Museum of Rock County intends to complete capital campaign fundraising later this year. Construction of the museum is expected to take 10 to 13 months to complete and with hopes for the museum to open in early 2026.

Those interested in learning more about the project and ways to support it can visit kidsatplayrc.com.