 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
17-Jun-11 – Calling it “a work in progress,” Bruce DuMont introduced his new Museum of Broadcast Communications to a full, open house Thursday evening. The crowd included a “who’s who” of notables from government and media. State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, State Senator Kirk Dillard, and State Representative Lisa Dugan listened to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel praise the museum that sat idle for years at State and Kinzie Streets due to funding delays. “This was a long and bumpy road, I think you all know,” DuMont told the crowd. “The bumpy road is behind us, it’s in the rear view mirror.” Including $6 million from the state, more than $21 million has been raised since DuMont first started toward a new museum in 2002. More money is still needed to finish the building’s 62,000 square feet of interior space. Events like Thursday’s will surely help, with tickets costing $150. Mayor Emanuel told the crowd he skipped the opening of a meeting in Baltimore of the U.S. Conference of Mayors to attend the event, his first cultural institution opening as Chicago’s mayor. “It’s only fitting,” he said, “we would have a museum dedicated to broadcast journalism in the city, in fact, in which the Kennedy-Nixon debate occurred that changed the use of TV in presidential politics.”
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, who was singled out by DuMont as “the person who made this museum happen,” called it “Chicago’s newest landmark” and predicted 240,000 visitors in its first year. “This is a great, important museum, not just for Chicago, but for anybody who is looking to get a glimpse of the history of radio and television.” Governor Quinn noted the museum’s location in “the heart of Chicago, the state of Illinois, the heart of our country.” “I’m honored that the people of Illinois can invest in this,” said Quinn. “And we’re going to see lots of jobs, lots of visitors. And make the will of the people the law of the land.”
|
