The Gertrude Salzer Gordon Children's Museum opened
in 1999 in its newly renovated home. The building was transformed
for museum use from a former furniture store. The historic art
deco style building is a contributing structure to the Downtown
La Crosse Commercial Historic District. The front facade was brightened
with new windows and doors, a protective canopy and colorful graphics.
The building contains 33,700 square feet of remodeled
space including a 3,000 square foot two level addition. The public
areas contain three floors of flexible exhibit space, a museum
store, ticket/ orientation area, a theater, birthday party rooms
and a craft center. The public floors are organized around a three
story open stair that is visible from the ticket counter. This
eases monitoring, security and ticketing difficulties present
in a multiple level building. The stair overlooks a climbing wall
and a river exhibit in the lower level. The top floor houses administrative
space, storage, exhibit assembly, and a workshop.
