Two UW-Madison alumni with New York-area roots have donated $20 million for a major expansion of the university’s Elvehjem Museum of Art, known now as the Chazen Museum of Art.
UW Chancellor John Wiley said the gift from Jerome and Simona Chazen is a “tremendous new development” and a major step toward the university’s plan to create an arts and humanities district on the east side of campus.
The expansion will involve construction of a new building at the current site of the university’s Peterson Office Building, across the street from the existing museum. The two buildings will be linked by an enclosed skywalk; Murray Street between them will be converted to a pedestrian mall.