Rendering of Captain Carus Maritime Garden Proposal. (Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Maritime Museum).
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Wisconsin Maritime Museum is unveiling plans for an improvement project to bring green space to the city of Manitowoc.
The public garden will be located on the southwest corner of Franklin Street and 12th Street in Manitowoc, adjacent to the new Wisconsin Maritime Heritage Center — which is also in the middle of renovations.
It’s all made possible from a $40,000 Vibrant Spaces Grant through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
A 20,000-square-foot parking lot will be transformed into the “Captain Carus Maritime Garden” — an outdoor exhibit for people to come and enjoy while learning about Wisconsin’s rich maritime history.
“The artifacts inside really tell a tale about history on the Great Lakes. One of the featured artifacts that we’re intending to add to this space is a part of a submarine that was built just blocks away on the Manitowoc River in 1942,” Wisconsin Maritime Museum Executive Director Kevin Cullen said.
An array of other maritime artifacts will be in the garden year-round. It’ll allow the Wisconsin Maritime Heritage Center to have outdoor educational programs, gatherings and public recreational use.
The green space is being named after Great Lakes ship Captain Edward Carus, who lived and died on the property.
“It’s really exciting to see Manitowoc kind of blossom as it were as an urban center, but for the public to enjoy it as public green space,” Cullen said.
The city of Manitowoc is in support of the project.
“We couldn’t ask for more and are so excited to see this project right here come to fruition in the coming years,” City of Manitowoc Director of Tourism Courtney Hansen said.
The city hopes the green space will be an attraction to help boost tourism.
“So many visitors that are coming to our community are looking for those experiences and they’re really interested in history,” Hansen said.
The garden will be right next to the new Wisconsin Maritime Heritage Center. Right now, the building is filled with many priceless artifacts, including 60 small water crafts. It’ll serve as an extension of the museum for visitors to tour, just four blocks away.
“This is the center for which the public can learn about all of these amazing resources and become involved in some of these public programming that we’ll eventually adding in,” Cullen said.
The nearly $3 million project will be done in several phases, renovating room by room until everything is complete.
Construction of the garden will start this summer and is expected to be complete by 2026. Officials hope the Heritage Center is done within the next two years.
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