'A masterpiece': Sneak a peek at $100 million Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere with these 15 things to know, from top to bottom to Beatles
DE PERE - Nine years ago, philanthropists James and Miriam Mulva had a vision for how they could give back to the community in which they grew up.
They wanted to take a piece of land that had been vacant in downtown De Pere and create a cultural center that would bring an ever-changing slate of major traveling exhibits, films and programming to stimulate interest not just from people in the city but across northeastern Wisconsin and beyond.
On Friday, the public will be able to see that vision come to life when the $100 million, 75,000-square-foot Mulva Cultural Center opens its doors at 221 S. Broadway and ushers in a next chapter in arts and culture for the area.
“This is an incredible gift to the community. We can’t be more grateful. We can’t be more thankful,” De Pere Mayor James Boyd said Tuesday during a media preview of the facility. “We can’t underestimate, and no one should, the value of this contribution and what this will mean to the city of De Pere and the surrounding communities. You just can’t. You can’t quantify this, because there’s nothing like this.”
The head-turning two-story structure with a glass exterior that overlooks the Fox River was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, one of the largest architectural firms in the world.
“They’ve designed a masterpiece here,” said Marv Wall, president of the Mulva Cultural Center.
Mortenson Construction in Milwaukee began work in August 2021. More than 250,000 labor hours went into the build, with a couple of delays along the way and an incredible attention to detail throughout.
The Mulvas, who have traveled extensively, selected and curated all the supplies themselves. There are light fixtures from Italy, a gift shop ceiling from Sweden, red cedar timber from Canada, white oak wood from Indianapolis, artwork from Germany above the Monaco fireplace and limestone panels from as nearby as Valders in Manitowoc County.
“The first description I heard of the center, and it really stuck with everyone all along, was world-class,” Wall said. “We wanted to have a world-class facility, world-class content ... Everything needs to be world-class.”
Here's a closer look at some of the unique features of the building and its inaugural two traveling exhibits, "Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Beatles!" and "And the Grammy Goes To ..."
The windows are big and bird-friendly
You don’t have to step foot inside the Mulva to see one its most striking features: an abundance of glass. There are 20,000 square feet in all on the exterior to maximize daylight. The Low-E, or low-emissivity, glass lets the natural daylight in while offering protection from ultraviolet rays and excessive heat.
The windows are also bird-friendly. A frit of acid-etched dots on the outermost surface of the glass acts as a marker for birds to help prevent them from flying into it. The windows have been in since April 2021, and Wall said they have not seen the bird collisions expected with windows of that size.
Motorized blinds from Italy are 46 feet top to bottom
It’s 46 feet from the floor to the linear aluminum ceiling, which means the bank of windows that faces Broadway require some rather significant Venetian blinds. They’re made of western red cedar from Canada that was shipped to Italy, where a custom blind manufacturer created the system. The 6-inch-wide slats are light as a feather on their own, but when you have 46 feet of them, each panel of blinds weighs hundreds of pounds, including the motor.
How ever will they dust them? “A lot of Swiffers,” Wall said. “Industrial-size Swiffers.”
Grand staircase is meant to be a show-stopper
It’s one of the focal points of the building’s design and offers a stunning visual as guests enter through the reception area and into the atrium. There are 48 steps to take you up to the main exhibit hall. By comparison, the climb up Ariens Hill in the Titletown District is 78 steps. There are also two passenger elevators.
There are 4,000 hours of work in the floor alone
Given the towering windows and ceilings, the natural inclination is to look up in awe at the scale of the structure, but the terrazzo flooring is a work of art in itself. Turkish tiles that arrived in boxes as 4-inch by 4-inch squares were broken into small black pieces with a hammer and placed by hand into the floor. The entire process, from pouring to polishing to sealing, took 4,000 hours.
Auditorium's Samsung screen is one of only three in country
The centerpiece of the 200-seat theater is a custom-made 17-foot by 33-foot Samsung OLED 4K screen wall that is one of only three in the country. Wall described it as “nine times better than your best TV.”
The auditorium boasts state-of-the-art acoustics, right down to the curves in the wood panels on the ceiling. A small stage area by the screen can accommodate presentations. At the back of the auditorium, a 500-square-foot sliding pocket door from the United Kingdom that took a year to make can open up into the atrium for special events.
The first two films to show are “Into the Arctic” (featuring the wilderness of the Canadian Arctic) and “The Magic of Flight” (featuring the Blue Angels and narrated by Tom Selleck). Showings are $5 each; free ages 5 and younger.
Major touring exhibits take 2 to 3 weeks to install, take down
The exhibition hall offers 10,000 square feet of display space to showcase three to four major touring exhibits each year — the caliber of which residents previously would have had to travel to major cities like Minneapolis or Chicago to see. Wall expects they will draw visitors from not just northeastern Wisconsin but across the state and the Midwest.
The Mulva’s first two exhibits — “Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Beatles!” and “And the Grammy Goes to ...” — make use of the entire space, but a partition also allows the area to be divided to accommodate two separate exhibits. The hall has 400 spotlights and 125 strip lights. A geothermal system in the parking lot keeps the building within the air-tight tolerance of temperature and humidity required to host the exhibits.
Traveling exhibits take two to three weeks to set up and take down. To help fill the void between exhibits, the Mulva will always have a free exhibit in the atrium and films showing in the theater.
Gift shop will offer merchandise tied to each major exhibit
The 2,000-square-foot gift shop is patterned after the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s store in New York City. Visitors will find everything from stuffed unicorns, dinosaur puzzles, GeoBingo and stickers to Andy Warhol notecards, “Cats in Art” pop-up books, luminary lanterns and jewelry.
A small selection of the merchandise will change out with each major touring exhibit the Mulva hosts. Items tied to the Beatles exhibit include T-shirts, hats, guitar-shaped bookmarks, pocket-size crankshaft music boxes and, for the fan who has everything, a yellow submarine with Beatles nesting dolls inside.
A second-story terrace overlooks the Fox River
Some of the most beautiful views are from a second-story terrace that overlooks the Fox River. The space will also be able to host events. Lambeau Field is visible off in the distance in some spots on the second floor, including from a boardroom available for rent.
Savour on Broadway sit-down restaurant to open next year
Gourmet to Go serves pastries, coffee drinks and other light fare in the atrium. The Mulva will also have its own upscale restaurant. Savour on Broadway, with seating in an area near the atrium's massive fireplace, is expected to open in the early part of 2024.
Parking is in the front, which you might think is the back
Parking has been one of the most-asked questions, Wall said. It is not visible from Broadway, but there is a large lot on the east side of the building, where the front entrance is. There's also another lot on the north side.
Outdoor areas have art, plantings and fire pits
Visitors will get a better idea of the outdoor spaces come spring, but there are many, including a patio with four fire pits, a small stage area, plantings, a kidney-shaped space with artificial turf and permanent artwork. A Remember Wall honors veterans, and 70-foot flagpole with an 8-foot by 12-foot flag is positioned to be front and center to traffic coming across the bridge.
Beatles exhibit lets you take a drum lesson with Ringo Starr
Curated by the Grammy Museum and Fab Four Exhibits, “Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Beatles!” is a fan's dream, starting with the replica of Liverpool's Cavern Club at the entrance.
The exhibit has many interactive elements. Turn a dial on a radio to listen to the music that influenced each Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr as they were growing up. Press a button to speed up or slow down a Beatles recording like the band did with reel-to-reel tape machines in the 1960s. Sit down at a drum kit and get a lesson from Starr.
There are guitars similar to ones the band used, a map of ticket stubs from each city on the 1964 North American tour (Milwaukee Arena included), vintage Beatles pins, coin holders and rings and a replica of a teen bedroom in 1964 during the height of Beatlemania.
Grammy exhibit features fashion from Rihanna, Taylor Swift
“And the Grammy Goes To …” gives an overview of the coveted music industry honor, but it’s a display of memorable fashion from the Grammy and Latin Grammy awards that’s the big draw. Displayed up and down sections of red carpet, visitors can see Rihanna’s 2011 bejeweled outfit, a 2019 gown worn by Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber’s jacket and pants from 2011 and Jose Guadalupe Esparza’s tuxedo from 2017.
Just one of the looks is behind glass: the navy and print dress by Etro that Taylor Swift wore at the 2021 Grammys when she performed a medley of songs off her “folklore” and “evermore” albums.
How does admission work at the Mulva Cultural Center?
Exhibits in the atrium are free. The Mulva’s first one is “Clyde Butcher’s America, A Lifetime in Photography.” Butcher, who has been called the next Ansel Adams, is known for his black-and-white landscapes and for often taking just two shots to capture them. The exhibit runs through Feb. 28.
Major touring exhibits in the main hall require the purchase of a timed-entrance ticket at mulvacenter.org/exhibits-tickets. “Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Beatles!” and “And the Grammy Goes To …” open to the public on Friday and run through Jan. 21. Prices are $25 for adults, $20 for active duty military members, veterans and seniors, and $15 for children ages 6-17. Children 5 and younger are free. One ticket covers both exhibits.
Mulva memberships start at $125 and include two tickets to each touring exhibit for one year, with additional benefits depending on the level. Information on memberships, hours and at mulvacenter.org.
Exhibits coming in 2024: dinosaurs, LEGOs and sharks
“Evolution Dinosaur,” Feb. 28 through May 12
“The Bricktionary: The Ultimate LEGO A-Z,” June 6 through Sept. 2
“Sharks!” Oct. 5 through Jan. 5, 2025
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Sneak a peek at Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere: 15 things to know
