The City of De Pere, Wis., began in the 17th century as a fishing village with a monastery, grew to be an incorporated city by the 1860s and has a National Register of Historic Places historic district with dozens of homes in a variety of styles that were built from the early 19th to early 20th centuries.
That architectural legacy is only part of what makes the small city attractive to some. Now, thanks to the generosity of James and Miriam Mulva, who have in recent years donated tens of millions of dollars to various groups, a new artistic focal point will draw new visitors, and enliven the historic town.
The wife and husband philanthropists recently announced designs for the Mulva Cultural Center, which will be in De Pere. The building will have an exterior made of transparent glass and will be a setting of arts activities and a focal point of the city’s arts community.
See Also: Puerto Rican mixed-use, mixed income housing development begins construction
Designed by the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architecture firm (SOM), the center will be situated along the Fox River.
“The hiring of SOM as the architect for the Mulva Cultural Center shows just how significant this project is for the City of De Pere and the people of Northeast Wisconsin. It underscores our family’s longstanding commitment to enhancing the community my wife Miriam and I have known and loved since our childhood,” says Jim Mulva. “We are honored and thrilled to partner with SOM on what is a grand plan for bringing this addition to the heart of historic downtown De Pere as part of the city’s new Cultural District Master Plan.”
The 60,000-square-foot center will host traveling art exhibitions, provide cultural programming and educational programming, and host other activities. The plans for the center follow a long-term strategy for the future of the city, which is in the Greater Green Bay Area.
“As a city, we have always been incredibly proud of our rich history and traditions while also endlessly striving to build a vibrant and forward-thinking future,” says De Pere Mayor Mike Walsh. “The Mulva Cultural Center embodies that spirit. We look forward to this world-class addition, and we are grateful for this significant opportunity to enrich and grow our community.”
The Mulva Cultural Center will have an open-air atrium spanning the building’s three stories., and a large auditorium. The center also will have flexible permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, event space, classrooms, a café, and an outdoor terrace.
Related Stories
| Nov 13, 2013
First look: Renzo Piano's addition to Louis Kahn's Kimbell Art Museum [slideshow]
The $135 million, 101,130-sf colonnaded pavilion by the famed architect opens later this month.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
Steven Holl selected for Culture and Art Center in Qingdao, besting Zaha Hadid, OMA
Steven Holl Architects has been selected by near unanimous jury decision as the winner of the new Culture and Art Center of Qingdao City competition, besting OMA and Zaha Hadid Architects. The 2 million-sf project for four museums is the heart of the new extension of Qingdao, China, planned for a population of 700,000.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 29, 2013
BIG opens subterranean Danish National Maritime Museum [slideshow]
BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has completed the Danish National Maritime Museum in Helsingør. By marrying the crucial historic elements with an innovative concept of galleries and way-finding, BIG’s renovation scheme reflects Denmark's historical and contemporary role as one of the world's leading maritime nations.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 23, 2013
Gehry, Foster join Battersea Power Station redevelopment
Norman Foster and Frank Gehry have been selected to design a retail section within the £8 billion redevelopment of Battersea Power Station in London.
| Oct 18, 2013
Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition
Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.
| Oct 18, 2013
Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal
When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.
| Oct 7, 2013
10 award-winning metal building projects
The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.
