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Construction begun on Multi-Purpose Building

The Illinois Railway Museum is pleased to announce that construction has begun on the Multi-Purpose Building (MPB), located along the museum’s Main Street Scene just west of the existing Schroeder Mercantile Store. The MPB will be the second building on the Main Street Scene and the first building constructed new, albeit with an historically appropriate facade.

The MPB will be a 13,500 square foot single-story structure. It will contain a permanent model railroad display and museum area, a gallery for revolving displays, and archive space. It will also be the permanent home of the Pullman Library, which is currently housed in a building in downtown Union. Movement of the Pullman Library to this new structure will permit the consolidation of all records and artifacts from Pullman into a central location, though these records will not typically be on public display.

The new building expands the size of the museum’s Main Street Scene, which over time will recreate a typical 1950s Midwestern street scene complete with an operating streetcar line. This will permit the museum to host a variety of exhibits and displays and will provide an accurate backdrop to the collection of historic streetcars preserved by IRM. For more information on the Entrance Building, the planned cornerstone of the Main Street Scene and the current focus of planning and fundraising, click here.