By Mike Van Asten
Mulva Cultural Center CEO
Spring is in the air.
This usually means construction season is getting underway for many businesses and highway departments.
But, thanks to the relatively mild winter, construction of the Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere hasn’t stopped.
When complete in summer 2023, the 75,000 square-foot, world-class cultural facility will showcase the finest traveling exhibits in the world and feature a state-of-the-art theater, educational classrooms, a large gift shop and specialty restaurant.
While we are on track, there’s still a lot to be accomplished.
If you’ve driven along the Fox River in historic downtown De Pere over the last couple of months, you likely saw the 120-foot tower crane on the construction site.
The crane’s large frame is hard to miss.
While we don’t see this type of crane very often in Northeast Wisconsin, it was needed so that the steel could be set anywhere on site from the one location.
That includes our recent topping off ceremony in March, where the last piece of steel was placed on the main portion of the building.
Over the next few weeks, you’ll notice the tower crane will be deconstructed, as unique, custom-made glass panels begin to go up.
The glass consists of 357 individual panels, with 58 unique sizes and finishes to maximize daylight and enhance visibility.
The largest panels, 48-foot each, will be arriving from Germany soon and passersby can expect to see the exterior walls reflect the sparkling Fox River in no time.
The Center’s visionaries and benefactors, James and Miriam Mulva, are thrilled the building frame came together in just a few short months, following our groundbreaking last August.
As CEO, I’m incredibly thankful to be working with the teams from SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP), Mortenson Construction, JP Cullen and subcontractors who are taking great pride in the facility.
Their hard work and dedication to this project over the winter months has been outstanding.
Visible construction isn’t the only activity taking place.
We’ve been visiting museums, gift shops, specialty restaurants and talking with exhibit companies.
I look forward to being able to announce more information, including our first set of exhibits, in late 2022.
In addition to the excitement about seeing the Mulva Cultural Center come to life, all of us involved are excited about what the center will mean to the Northeast Wisconsin area.
The exhibits, activities, amenities and cultural programs will not only be of interest to local residents, but will draw thousands of visitors from throughout Northeast Wisconsin and beyond.
As all of this work is going on, I invite you follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram @MulvaCulturalCenter for timely updates and behind the scenes photos and videos.
While on our Facebook page, sign-up for our e-newsletter for more in-depth news and announcements.
There’s always something new to share.