Former Port Exploreum museum to be sold next week

The Port Exploreum building is about to be sold.

Mike Didier, the real estate agent listing the property, said that there is an accepted offer on the property, which is owned by the Port Washington Historical Society.

The purchase is expected to be finalized on Thursday, May 11, he said.

“I’m 90% sure that will happen,” Didier said.

Didier did not identify the potential buyer but said she is from Ozaukee County and plans to use the building for her business, he said.

The Exploreum building at 118 N. Franklin St. was built in 1906 as a businessman’s club and most recently was home to the Port Exploreum, an interactive maritime museum operated by the Historical Society.

The museum, which was hailed as a state-of-the-art facility that made use of technology to offer hands-on experiences not found elsewhere, was funded by donations from the community.

It opened to fanfare in 2015, but  last year, the Historical Society decided to close the museum, saying it had failed to reach its potential and generate enough income to cover anywhere near the expenses it generated.

At the time, officials said they would sell or lease the building.

The building was initially marketed for $999,000, Didier said, but for the last five months has been listed for $899,000.

“We had a lot of interest (in the building),” Didier said, adding most people who looked at the structure considered buying it for residential uses.

That kind of time frame isn’t unusual, he said, especially for a unique property like the Exploreum.

Three offers were submitted for the building — one from Bill Schwalbe, the owner of the neighboring Schooner Pub, who told city officials he was interested in turning it into an event space — Didier said.

Historical Society officials did not return calls seeking comment on the pending sale.