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1/6 London Children's Museum Amanda Conlon shows some of the renderings of its new home at the old Kellogg Plant, expected to open its doors to the community in 2021. (JONATHAN JUHA, The London Free Press) 2/6 Rendering of London Children's Museum's new home, expected to open in 2021. 3/6 Rendering of London Children's Museum's new home, expected to open in 2021. 4/6 Rendering of London Children's Museum's new home, expected to open in 2021. 5/6 Rendering of London Children's Museum's new home, expected to open in 2021. 6/6 London Children's Museum executive director Amanda Conlon shows some of the renderings of its new home at the former Kellogg Plant, expected to open its doors in 2021. (JONATHAN JUHA, The London Free Press) Previous Image Next Image

Designed by California-based Gyroscope Inc., a design firm that specializes in educational spaces, the new museum will include a network of treehouses and animal habitats, a mini streetscape, underground caves, a stream to play in and a space for kids to dig and discover dinosaurs bones, among others experiences they will be offering.

It will have space for new and larger exhibits, as well as more immersive activities for children to interact with science and new technologies.

“It is an exciting part of our evolution, if you will,” said Carol Johnston, founder and honorary board chair of the museum.

“This (current) building has been a very good start for us but there are many things we will be able to do in the new space that we can’t here.

“And we are looking forward to being even more to the people of London, especially the children.”

Renovating the 33,000-square-foot space on the fourth floor at the old Kellogg plant, which for more than a century produced cereal until its doors were shuttered in 2014, will cost the museum $14 million and is expected to be completed by 2021. In the meantime, the museum will continue to operate at its Wharncliffe Road South location.

Founded in 1975, the Children Museum, Canada’s first, is hoping to fund the move through a fundraising campaign, which is now underway and which has already collected more than $4 million.

Conlon didn’t rule out the possibility admission fees may have to be hiked to cover some of the cost of the move, but said the museum is committed to continuing to be an accessible place for people in the community.

“We believe all children should have access to this space and these experiences,” she said, adding the free, accessible programs now in place will continue to be offered at the new location on Kellogg Lane.

The current museum’s building was sold in 2013 to London landowner Shmuel Farhi.

Earlier this year, the museum announced it had chosen the former Kellogg factory as the location for its new home. The facility is already home to The Factory, a hub for kids featuring trampolines and North America’s largest indoor ropes course.

jjuha@postmedia.com

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