Director of Exhibits and Design Julian Jackson tells the magazine his team worked hard to strike a balance in using technology to enhance the experience of the time period rather than disrupt it. You can be the judge when the Streets reopen on Dec. 11.
1. The streets will have an app, “Streets of Old Milwaukee,” which visitors can use to select from a rotating cast of MKE composite characters who act as audio guides through the streets. The app uses bluetooth technology so that it can tell where you are in the exhibit, meaning there’s no set route.
2. The streetcar marks the entrance to the exhibit. From the car’s interior, visitors will see animated Milwaukee scenes that move from present to past.
3. Next to the streetcar is the North Side Lumber & Fuel building (now Bliffert Lumber & Hardware). MPM designers scavenged the lumber company’s original building for materials before the company was set to tear it down. Hot tip: Train your nose to pick up the scent of freshly cut wood.
The H. Kuhm General Store still stands, but now visitors can step inside and take a closer look at its goods, like materials from the Johnston candy-making company.
