The Pritzker Military Museum & Library, a Chicago museum and research library dedicated to military history, will close its doors at the end of July, with its collection and other assets moving to the Pritzker Military Archives Center in Southern Wisconsin.
According to an announcement Wednesday from the museum, the two operations will consolidate with a new home for the archives center in Somers, Wisconsin, north of Kenosha. A new facility, including with archives and some 10,000 feet of public space for visitors, is expected to open later in 2024 — the building now under construction was designed by architect Helmut Jahn before his death in 2021.
Chicago’s nonprofit Pritzker Military Museum is currently housed on floors two through four in the Monroe Building, 104 S. Michigan Ave. It was founded in 2003 by Jennifer Pritzker, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard and cousin of Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Both the museum and archives center are part of the Chicago-based Tawani Enterprises, which “works to highlight the role of the military in society,” according to a statement on its website. Pritzker is board chair of the museum and president of Tawani Enterprises.
The museum is currently open Tuesdays through Saturdays and is presenting the exhibit “War of 1812: Countering Peril on the High Seas and at Home.” According to the announcement, it will close on July 27; more information about visiting at www.pritzkermilitary.org.
dgeorge@chicagotribune.com