Future Peoria Riverfront Museum - Water Street Entrance.  Photo provided.

PEORIA — After over a decade of planning and preparation, the 81,000 square-foot Peoria Riverfront Museum is less than a year away from its grand opening.
The $140 million museum located on a seven-acre block that boards Washington, Liberty and Water streets in Downtown Peoria is scheduled to open October 20, 2012.

“Right now, it’s scheduled to open October 20, 2012,” said Jim Richerson, president and CEO of the Peoria Riverfront Museum. “That’s what we contracted for with the builder. They (builder) tell us they’re on schedule.”
Construction of the museum began in April 2010.
According to Peoria County’s project manager Turner Construction Company, 46.03 percent of the entire project is complete. The Water Street improvements and deep utilities are both 100 percent complete, while the parking deck is 99.62 complete. The museum building and surrounding site are 33.73 percent complete.

Webcam photo of current construction progress.  Photo provided

Turner Construction Company said the exterior of the museum will be complete before winter, allowing interior construction to proceed.
The interior of the museum will include a giant screen digital theater, a state-of-the-art planetarium and several exhibits.
The River exhibit will allow visitors to learn about the complex ecosystem of the Illinois River. The Street exhibit will be a large media display that will outline more than 300 years of Peoria’s history. The Illinois High School Association Peak Performance Center will be an interactive exhibit that will allow visitors to test their skills in IHSA’s 39 sports and activities. The Discovery Worlds exhibit will include two galleries filled with hands-on learning activities for children. The museum will also include fine arts and folk art galleries as well as an international features gallery.
Museum official have not yet determined what they will charge for admission to museum attractions.
“We’re going to do a ticket study closer to the opening, probably in the second quarter of next year,” said Richerson.  
The three-story, 50,000 square-foot Caterpillar Experience visitor center that is currently being constructed next to the museum, will also open in 2012.
The $52 million Caterpillar Experience will feature several interactive exhibits that showcase the history of Caterpillar, Inc. and give visitors an insider’s prospective on the employees, customers, products and progress of the heavy equipment manufacturing company.
The exterior walls of both the museum and visitor center will be covered with silver/grey metal panels that will be installed vertically and shimmer lighter across the surface of the buildings.
“Building designer Bob Frasca envisions the panels will reflect a shimmer of light across the building’s surface, much like sunlight dances across the Illinois River,” said Richerson.
The silver/grey metals panels will be installed during the next few weeks, said Turner Construction Company.
The construction of the $52 million Caterpillar Experience facility is being funded solely by Caterpillar, Inc., while the construction of the museum is being financed through public and private donates as well as grants.
In 2009, Peoria County voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax increase to raise up to $40 million for the construction for museum. Museum officials hope to raise $100 million from private donations and grants to finance the remainder of the museum construction costs.
According to the Peoria Riverfront Museum website www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org, museum officials have collected $30,398,067 in private donations and $16,065,660 in grants for the construction of the museum.
To make a donation towards the construction of the museum, call Nikki Cole, vice president of development for the Peoria Riverfront Museum, at (309) 686-7000 ext. 120 or send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
To view daily construction progress of museum, visit buildtheblock.com.