In 1998, Peggy Montes founded the museum in Evergreen Park, Illinois at 97th and Western Avenue.[1] A retired Chicago Public Schools teacher, she was motivated to start the museum after attending a museum convention where she visited numerous children's museums.[2] It was formerly located in the Evergreen Plaza on the lower level in a Шаблон:Convert space.[3] The relocated museum opened on August 19, 2000, in a space ten times larger and with three times as more exhibits than the prior home.[4] Construction of the new museum location was sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.[5]Jewel-Osco became a sponsor of the museum in 2000.[6]
Mission
The Museum is designed to serve children between the age of 3 and 9.[7] The museum is located away from the Bronzeville, Chicago neighborhood bounded by 26th Street and 51st Street on the north and south, respectively, and Wentworth Avenue and Cottage Grove Avenue.[3] Nonetheless, the museum was named after the neighborhood, which is the neighborhood where African Americans settled in large concentration in Chicago.[7] Although over 100 children's museums serve the youth of America, this is the only one that focuses on African American culture and history.[1]
