The Waukegan Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society invite you to the official ribbon cutting and opening ceremony for the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 12pm. Located at 1 N. Sheridan Road in the heart of Downtown Waukegan overlooking Lake Michigan, the long-vacant, historic Carnegie Library has been beautifully restored and transformed into a vibrant museum showcasing Waukegan’s dynamic and diverse history.
The new museum features an expansive permanent exhibit, “The Waukegan Chronicles,” which highlights Waukegan’s history from the ice age through the 21st century. The exhibit was created in collaboration with Luci Creative, an award-winning exhibit design firm, and features text in English and Spanish. Also on permanent display is the personal book collection of world-renowned author and Waukegan-native Ray Bradbury in the restored room where he spent many hours as a child nurturing his love for stories and books. The new museum houses the Waukegan Historical Society’s extensive research archives, hosts rotating temporary exhibits, and offers a variety of educational programs throughout the year for visitors of all ages.
As part of the grand opening celebration, the Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie will host open houses, including following the ribbon cutting and opening ceremony on Thursday, May 1, 2025 until 6pm, Friday, May 2, 2025 from 12pm to 6pm, Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 9am to 3pm, and Sunday, May 4, 2025 from 12pm to 3pm. The open houses will be an opportunity to visit and explore the new museum with free admission.
Designated as a Waukegan Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Waukegan Carnegie Library opened in 1903 and was funded by Andrew Carnegie, a steel magnate and philanthropist who commissioned the construction of 2,509 libraries worldwide. The Waukegan Park District and the Waukegan Historical Society engaged Harboe Architects, a top preservation architectural firm, to lead the design process and oversee the building’s meticulous restoration and adaptive reuse to become the new Waukegan History Museum at the Carnegie.
