After years of construction, the Mulva Cultural Center has not only just opened its third exhibit but has also been booming with people excited to check out its contents.
The building of this 75,000 square foot building, located at 221 S. Broadway in De Pere, cost $100 million and was funded entirely by Jim and Miriam Mulva. The Mulvas wanted to leave the center as a lasting gift to the area they are from.
The center brings a much more modern look to an otherwise old-fashioned downtown De Pere thanks to its ultra-modern exterior.
The open space in the first floor currently holds a cafe and a gift shop that contains many unique items for sale to anyone visiting the center.
Recently, the center has also opened up a restaurant called Savour on Broadway, offering many dishes created by executive chef Bernard Beronio.
The center opened with an exhibit on The Beatles, walking people through popular moments in Beatles history.
The second exhibit to open in the center, however, has caused the place to boom with visitors from all over the area.
“It’s pretty much a night and day difference,” says the executive director of community relations, Tom Shefchik. “The Beatles and Grammys exhibit had a very small group of people that it was likely to attract. Dinosaurs are one of the top topics that people are interested in. It brings out families and people of all ages.”
The dinosaur exhibit showcased all different types of dinosaurs made to scientifically represent the species as best as possible.
After these first two displays success, the center opened its third. As of May 25, the center’s newest exhibit is the Bricktionary display of LEGOs.
“One of their visions was creating opportunities for these traveling exhibits, to bring that to De Pere,” Shefchik says about the Mulva’s inspiration for the center. “The other part of their vision is to bolster De Pere and continue to build on the already strong arts community that is here.”
