DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Children's Museum is preparing to welcome visitors again by the end of the year, marking the end of a 15-year period when the public couldn't walk through its doors openly.
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The museum, which houses 2.5 million artifacts collected over more than a century, has secured over $800,000 in grant funding that will allow it to operate as a public attraction for the next two years.
Don Bogart, the museum's curator who has dedicated the past decade and a half to preserving the collection, has watched over the artifacts like a guardian. When his son Henry was crawling around the museum floor as a toddler in 2009, Bogart was already deeply committed to the institution. Now, Henry is a teenager, and Bogart's dedication hasn't wavered.
"The children's museum is my third child," Bogart said.
The museum's journey began in 1917, moving locations several times before settling at its most well-known spot off Kirby Street in 1957. In 2001, it relocated to its current home on 2nd Avenue.
About 15 years ago, funding cuts forced the museum to close its doors to general public access. The collection remained largely hidden from view, operating only with limited field trips and occasional open houses until 2020, when even those stopped.
"It was the hope of people who died long ago that kids would see these things," Bogart said.
The curator describes the museum as a goldmine designed to keep children's eyes big and full of wonder. Many exhibits encourage hands-on interaction, allowing young visitors to get close to historical artifacts and specimens.
"You can get right up and push your face against the glass," Bogart said.
Part of the museum's appeal lies in its mix of contemporary and historical exhibits. Some feature newer, more popular donations, while others tell stories spanning millennia.
"We like to say everything that's here is owned by the kids of Detroit," Bogart said. "And they were donated here for the children, and for the children of Detroit especially."
Kerrie Mitchell Campbell-Mabins, president and CEO of Detroit Public Schools Community District Foundation, expressed enthusiasm about the reopening.
"This is exciting and I know students are going to love the experience," Campbell-Mabins said.
The grant funding will provide Bogart with a team to help operate the museum, representing a new chapter for both him and the institution.
"If you don't know where you came from, you don't know where you're going," Bogart said.
The museum plans to offer free admission when it reopens to the public by the end of the year.
"I'm looking forward to being behind that counter and seeing the first kid coming through the door," Bogart said. "I just love this place. It's a treasure."
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