History of the CDM

 

The “McLean County Children’s Discovery Museum,” was founded in 1988 in answer to a need in our community. Six years of planning resulted in an 1,100 square foot preview museum space donated by College Hills Mall. Innovative, hands-on exhibits dealing in the arts, sciences and communications greeted our visitors on opening day, March 27, 1994. The public response to this preview was phenomenal.

In March of 1995, to accommodate the requests for field trips, birthday parties, and hands-on classes we relocated to 716 E. Empire, St. in Bloomington. The new site provided us with 8,000 square feet of open space. The museum added programs in partnership with Bloomington Junior High School, local scout troops and preschool - 3rd graders. In 1997 we officially changed our name to the Children’s Discovery Museum of Central Illinois to better reflect our visitor population and independent funding authority.

In 2001 the Museum began a capital campaign to fund the design and construction of a new 24,000 SF museum with professionally designed exhibits as part of a public/private partnership with the Town of Normal to be the cornerstone of their downtown renewal effort. As the plans unfolded for the museum site, the Town of Normal came to recognize the importance of the Children’s Discovery Museum building as the first evidence of rebirth in the downtown redevelopment. Normal knew that the Museum would be a tourism draw and an economic development driver, and it would give our community a quality of life competitive advantage when courting new businesses and employees to Bloomington/Normal.

On November 18, 2002, the Town of Normal officially announced a commitment to constructing a
$4.5 million, 34,000 sq. ft. building and to encompass the operations of the Museum within the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The Museum’s $3.5 million commitment to this project funded the development and construction of four permanent interactive exhibit galleries, additional programming, as well as furniture and equipment needed for museum programs and operations.

On November 27, 2004, the Children's Discovery Museum welcomed its first visitors in its new three-story home.