DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – Downtown De Pere will be the future site of a cultural center, now much bigger in size and scope than originally thought.
Plans for the Mulva Cultural Center were first announced four years ago, but at that time the venture was being estimated at around $7 million.
On Wednesday, Jim and Miriam Mulva announced that they will fund a $50 million project through personal funds and the Mulva Family Foundation.
The site for the facility is the corner of Broadway and Lewis Street.
Even though it has taken time for the plans to develop, Jim Mulva says it has been well worth it.
“By waiting and working for several years we’ve developed a much better project that’s going to be larger and I think it’s going to be more interesting, unique and raw both for northeastern Wisconsin but people who travel through our area,” he explains.
The proposed facility would be three-stories and around 60-thousand square feet, according to artist renderings which have been unveiled.
Glass walls will allow the public to look in and visitors to look out to the Fox River, while plans call for world-class art and culture exhibits to inhabit the ground floor and open-air atrium.
Additional performance and event space will be included on the top floor.
An auditorium, classrooms, outdoor terrace, and veterans’ memorial will all be within the building.
“Having this gift from the Mulvas just blows me away,” says De Pere Mayor Mike Walsh.
The new building will become the centerpiece of the city’s cultural district master plan approved last year, according to Mayor Walsh.
“I think we’re going to draw not only from the surrounding areas, the state of Wisconsin, surrounding states, but I think from throughout the entire country because this is something, with the exhibits they’re planning on having here, kind of be one of a kind,” explains Walsh.
The Mulva’s, who have funded buildings at St. Norbert College, say something like this is a no-brainer for them.
“It’s a beautiful city, we’re from here, our hometown, and we wanted to do something exciting that’s for everybody,” says Miriam Mulva.
There will be no taxpayer cost in the construction of the building and the city only donated the land where it will be built, according to Mayor Walsh.
The De Pere Cultural Foundation is overseeing the project, while final design plans are expected to be completed later this year, for city review.
Groundbreaking is anticipated for late next year and the construction timeline calls for the doors to be open in 2022.
