The Magnificent Mile will soon have a new attraction calling the famed Michigan Avenue strip home.
After seven years of planning, The American Writers Museum is slated to open at 180 N. Michigan Ave in spring 2017. The museum will be the first gallery of its kind to come to the United States.
The attraction is expected to draw in up to 120,000 visitors annually from the very beginning. Featured writers will include everyone from Carl Sandburg and Mark Twain to Dr. Seuss and Kurt Vonnegut.
“AWM will be a strong addition to the city’s diverse landscape of museums and cultural institutions,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “I enthusiastically support the efforts to place a national writers museum in Chicago. Such a museum will complement the rich offerings of the city’s theaters, museums, libraries, and musical activities and adds significantly to Chicago’s vitality.”
The museum’s newly signed 10-year lease entitles them to the entire second floor on one of the busiest corners in all of Chicago. The location is sure to benefit both the American Writers Museum and the Magnificent Mile as whole as it continues to add even more attractions to bring in more visitors.
“We are thrilled to have found the perfect space in the heart of downtown Chicago, just steps from the city’s major attractions,” said museum founder and President, Malcolm E. O’Hagan. “The American Writers Museum will become a beloved attraction for Chicago residents and visitors from all over the world, and will provide an exciting and unprecedented opportunity to showcase true Americana in one of the nation’s most culturally rich cities.”
It’s not the only new museum coming to Chicago either, as the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is set for completion in Northerly Island in 2018.
Want to learn more? Check out americanwritersmuseum.org or watch the video below: