Construction milestone celebrated at site of future Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- If you drive downtown a lot, you've probably been watching the construction of Milwaukee's new museum. 

Tuesday, a topping-off ceremony was held at the construction site on 6th Street near Fiserv Forum. 

This marks the completion of the vertical structure for what will become the Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin, which will replace the public museum on Wells Street. The building's five-story frame is now fully built and the final steel beam was put into place, meaning its 100-foot structure has now taken full shape. 

It's one of the first major milestones in the building's construction, which has already used up more than 12,000 cubic yards of concrete and 1,400 tons of rebar. 

"We are honoring the history of the museum and just reinvigorating what we've done int he past," said Ellen Censky, president and CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum. "So, bringing it into the current century and making it accessible for everyone in the community."

Crews will now shift their focus to getting the building's outer panels installed, as well as finishing up the parking structure. 

Construction is on track for the museum to open in early 2027, with exterior construction expected to be complete by the end of this year. 

And while the final beam was installed Tuesday, things didn't exactly go as planned. As it was hauled up to the top of the building, one of the straps holding it up snapped, causing a near miss with a worker standing just feet away. 

Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and the beam wasn't seriously damaged.