NOBLE SQUARE — The Polish Museum of America is reopening this weekend after a 14-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The museum will open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. After that, the museum will be open the same hours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Throughout the pandemic, people from across North America and Poland reached out to see when the museum might reopen, museum volunteer Daniel Pogorzelski said. The would-be visitors were bummed to learn the museum was still closed, he said.
“I had to be the bearer of bad news,” he said.
Pogorzelski said he’s elated the museum is finally reopening — not just for visitors, but for Chicagoans who need to tour the museum’s extensive archives and exhibits for research.
For example, Chicago’s Theatre Y is planning a revival of The Camino Project, which highlights the boulevards that connect Chicago parks on the South and West sides.
Actor Sage Behr was tasked with researching the history of Humboldt Park. She reached out to Pogorzelski to better understand the neighborhood’s Polish and German immigrant history.
Behr requested access to the museum’s archives, which include documents and photos related to the Polish parade, Pogorzelski said.
“Reopening changes the game for Sage,” Pogorzelski said. “If the museum wasn’t going to open for another few months … she may not have been able to do a comparable level of research for the Polish community.”
The Polish Museum of America was established in 1935 as the Museum and Archives of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. The first public display opened in 1937.
RELATED: Celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day At The Polish Museum of America
New Safety Rules
The museum is reopening with rules to limit the spread of coronavirus
Guided and group tours will be replaced by self-guided tours. All visitors will receive a museum map and informational brochures.
The museum will accept walk-ins if under-capacity; however, visitors are encouraged to register for a self-guided tour online. The last museum admission will be 3:15 p.m. Household groups are limited to 10 people.
The museum will require all staff and visitors older than 2 to wear a mask inside the building. People unable to wear a mask due to a disability or medical condition can wear a face shield.
Museum admission is $10 for adults, $8.50 for students and older people and $6 for members.
For more information on the museums’s reopening and safety guidelines, visit its website. Follow the museum on Facebook.
For questions, email the museum at PMA@PolishMuseumOfAmerica.org.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
Already subscribe? Click here to support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.