A conceptual view of the "Bitty City" portion of the future home of the Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

Bolder. Better. Bigger. Those are the descriptive words offered for the new Children’s Museum of Eau Claire, the first glimpse of which was offered recently.

The museum, which closed its current location earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, had previously announced plans to build a new home on North Barstow Street, which is slated to open in 2022. On Monday, it announced it is partnering with two Chippewa Valley-based contractors, Hoeft Builders and Market & Johnson, on the new building.

“Children’s Museums are conveners in communities they serve and through this project CMEC seeks to carry that forward with the planning, design, and building of a new children’s museum,” Executive Director Mike McHorney said. “To have two industry leaders such as Market & Johnson and Hoeft Builders place competition behind and collaboration at the forefront really means a great deal to our mission of inspiring learning through play.”

Earlier this year, the museum’s board of directors decided to the keep the original museum, 220 S. Barstow St., closed until a new museum opens on the so-called Liner Site, next to the downtown parking ramp. The city Redevelopment Authority has approved the museum’s purchase of the property, and in August the museum had put its current building on the market.

Check out these conceptual images of the inside and outside of the future museum, including bigger, better, and bolder versions of some familiar museum exhibits, such as Body Smarts and Bitty City.

Learn more about the museum at ChildrensMuseumEC.com.

A conceptual image of the exterior of the museum, which will be built on the so-called Liner Site in front of the city parking ramp on North Barstow Street. (Submitted image)

The Water Play exhibit at the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

The Center for Young Children inside the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

The Body Smarts exhibit inside the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

The Explore and Discover area of the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

The Shape Up! area in the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

A conceptual image of the interior of the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)

An exterior rendering of the future Children's Museum of Eau Claire on North Barstow Street. (Submitted image)

This rendering shows the vaulted ceiling inside the future new Children's Museum of Eau Claire. (Submitted image)