After two years of acquiring, fundraising, and designing all-new, innovative exhibits, The Children’s Museum of Cleveland (CMC) announces its grand opening on Monday, November 6 at 9 a.m.
The CMC’s new home is the Stager-Beckwith mansion, one of the last remaining homes of Cleveland’s historic Millionaire’s Row, located at 3813 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood. The facility is four times the size of its prior location and triples the amount of parking spaces. It is located two blocks from Interstates 90, 71 and 77, making it accessible for all families in Northeast Ohio.
The museum’s permanent exhibits include:
Adventure City: From a market to a two-story climber to construction site, the largest exhibit space invites children to build, work, climb, and explore this bustling city. This multi-level environment, comprised of cozy corners and tall overlooks, encourages pretend play and limitless imagination. The exhibit’s open-ended environment inspires the next generation of designers, problem-solvers, and collaborators.
Wonder Lab: Enter a world of water and wonder in this industrial science laboratory. Children can explore whirlpools, jets, rivers, and more in two fun-filled water tables as other friends build ball tracks on the magnetic wall, make scarves fly through the air, and create cascades of bubbles. Through the joy of play and experimentation, children become scientists as they use their natural curiosity to observe and explore how things work and why things happen.
Making Miniatures: Nestled in a series of colorful rooms at the very top of the museum, children discover fascinating dollhouses featuring the Lincoln Collection and including a replica of CMC’s new home, the Stager-Beckwith mansion. Children learn how miniaturists make pint-sized objects, design tiny rooms, and build small houses. As they explore this exhibit, children can search for a hidden logo, and, through hands-on play, create their very own miniature world.
Arts & Parts: In this sun-filled art studio, children work with various materials, tools, and supplies to express their imaginations. Children design, construct, and experiment to create unique objects to take home or add to a communal project. Activities include explosions of color and investigations of art techniques as children unleash their inner artists.
“We imagined how this home could be transformed into a welcoming place where all children and their families could enjoy its majestic structure and beautiful grounds while simultaneously experiencing engaging, new interactive exhibits that far exceed the quality of our former site,” said Maria Campanelli, CMC executive director. “Our vision has only been made possible with the generous support of our donors.”
The Museum’s leadership gifts include support from Doreen and Dick Cahoon, Brian and Gretchen Colleran, Cathy and Emma Lincoln, the George Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation. In addition, the Museum secured and closed $8 million of new market tax credits allocated by Cleveland Development Advisors, an affiliate of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.