Museum of Broadcast Communications Nears Completion

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 23, 2011 3:00PM

The long-delayed Museum of Broadcast Communications is nearing completion. No, really. Steve Dahlman of Marina City Online has posted an update on the progress of the 62,000-square-foot facility at State and Kinzie, including a model of the finished museum.

Floor plans show an intricate, sprawling complex of exhibits, theaters, and galleries. The lobby will include a 22-foot high media tower by artist Mark Patsfall, festooned with 36 monitors displaying images from classic TV. The building's atrium will feature tributes to various media pioneers, including Walt Disney, Betty White, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. One cool exhibit that looks especially intriguing recreates the family living room from the 1940's to the present.

It should be noted that the naming rights of several exhibits are still up for grabs — if you have $50,000 then the 1970's living room can yours. The MBC is still soliciting donations, but museum president Bruce DuMont insists that basic interior work, such as all gold LEED core and shell construction, should be completed by April 30, thanks to a $6 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Incidentally, the MBC is across the street from Public House, triggering visions of television VIPs decamping there after the Grand Opening to take advantage of their private wall taps. Our guess is that Betty White can hold her liquor.