The Children's Museum is somewhat unusual among youth museums because of its emphasis on social culture. It seems fitting that the children, particularly those from the city's ethnic neighborhoods who gave artifacts from varied cultures, should have determined the nature of their own museum.

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the fourth oldest such museum in the world, grew as rapidly as the children it served, necessitating a move to the Garfield Park Shelter House in 1926 and another move to the 1150 North Meridian Street Home of its founder in 1927. Arthur B. Carr, a former pharmacist and a locally renowned private collector of American Indian artifacts, was the museum's director in these early years.

1930s
The 1930s ushered in the Depression and a new role for The Children's Museum. Here whole families could find entertainment without cost, and countless leisure hours were spent at the museum. Despite the hard times, the museum's growth continued. In 1933, The Children's Museum Guild was formed. Today this organization numbers 80 active and more than 200 associate volunteers who contribute more than $200,000 and nearly 20,000 hours to the museum each year. The 1930s also saw the inception of a service of lending portable exhibits of small items from the museum collections. This response to the hard times, which often prevented school classes from visiting the museum, was aided by the Depression, for many artists who fabricated the exhibits were employed through the "Children's Museum Project" of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Greatly expanded, today this resource center service circulates more than 800 different exhibits, reaching a half-million plus youngsters each year.

1940s
The 1940s saw more changes. In 1942, Arthur B. Carr retired and turned over the helm to assistant Grace Golden. And, with an ever-growing artifact collection, it wasn't long before Mrs. Golden found herself in search of a new home for the museum. The search culminated with the purchase of the St. Clair Parry mansion at the corner of 30th and Meridian Streets, and on December 6, 1946, The Children's Museum celebrated its 21st birthday in new quarters. The publicity generated by the museum's move to this new home brought in even more new artifacts, and in 1948 the museum broke ground for the first of several building additions.

1950s
The 1950s saw museum activities increase several fold. Scout merit badge classes were initiated; performing groups came from outside the city; the museum produced a weekly television show; skilled artisans demonstrated their crafts in museum galleries.

1960s
The 1960s saw a number of significant developments in the museum's history. To the collections in 1961 came a log cabin which stood on the city's north side in the mid-19th century, and in 1968 the 55-ton Reuben Wells locomotive took up residence in The Children's Museum. In 1964 The Children's Museum Guild sponsored the first Haunted House, a successful 10-day fund raising event which continues today, drawing more than 60,000 visitors each year. And the 1960s also saw another change in leadership. Grace Golden retired in 1964 and was succeeded by Mildred S. Compton.

1970s
The 1970s were highlighted with planning and construction for the museum. The contribution of a spectacular collection of toy trains called for yet another addition, and a pilot gallery for physical science was opened. In 1971, The Children's Museum was among the first two dozen museums in the country, and the first in Indianapolis to be accredited by the American Association of Museums.

But the problems of inadequate space continued to mount until, in 1972, teachers requesting tours for 18,000 students had to be turned away and only a fraction of the museum's collections could be exhibited. A brand new building at 30th and Meridian was the only real answer.

In December 1972, The Children's Museum embarked on a $7 million capital fund drive. Lilly Endowment Inc. pledged what was at that time its largest single grant ($3.5 million) to the project, contingent upon commitment of matching funds from other sources. In just six months, the community had met the challenge, but contributions continued until the Challenge Fund reached nearly $8.8 million.

After ground was broken in 1973, the existing buildings were raised in stages and on October 2, 1976, what was now the world's largest children's museum (203,000 square feet at the time) opened its doors to the public.

1980s
The 1980s saw dramatic physical and educational changes. In 1982, after 21 years with the museum, Mildred Compton retired. To honor her more than two decades of achievement, "Keep an Eye on that Mummy," a fascinating history of the museum by author Nancy Kriplen was published.

Mrs. Compton's successor was Peter V. Sterling. Under Sterling, the museum continued to grow. In 1983, the museum built an addition that included a new restaurant, the perpetually needed additional storage space and an outdoor garden gallery. In 1984, the museum's collection, already the largest of any youth museum in the world, nearly doubled in size when Frank and Theresa Caplan gave the museum more than 50,000 toys and folk art objects collected from 120 countries around the world.

More than 15 million people have visited the museum since 1976. By 1986, with more than a million visitors annually, The Children's Museum became one of the 20 most-visited museums in the nation. That annual figure was twice the number for which the 1976 building was planned. So in early 1987, the museum announced plans for a $15.7 million expansion. In 1988, the museum set out a new welcome mat with a 20,000-square-foot atrium entrance and Welcome Center that includes the world's largest water clock as its centerpiece.

The rest of the expansion project was completed and opened in phases in 1989 and 1990. Included in the project were the 130-seat SpaceQuest® Planetarium, additional classroom space, and new galleries for changing exhibits. In May 1990, the museum unveiled the Eli Lilly Center for Exploration, an innovative 15,000-square-foot gallery designed by and programmed for adolescent visitors.

1990s
In 1990 the museum also began asking visitors to pay admission fees as they entered the Welcome Center. After many discussions with community leaders, other museums and staff members, a plan was developed to minimize the impact on children. Young visitors ages 2 to 17 were offered a $3 youth pass that allowed them unlimited admission to the museum for an entire year. Adults were charged $4 per visit; senior citizens paid $3 per visit. The museum also offered free admission on Thursday evenings and an annual family admission pass for just $25.

The mid-1990s welcomed more than a million people to the museum each year. The 16-month construction of the CineDome™, a 310-seat large-format theater, came to an end in June of 1996. Over 200,000 people were transported around the world, under the sea and into the cosmos with the CineDome films during its first year. Festival Park was also added in 1996 and opened the doors to many outside activities, celebrations and performances.

ScienceWorks in the Dow Science Center, a newly renovated science gallery, was also a new addition in 1996. ScienceWorks was the result of a $5 million effort to construct and endow the 12,000-square-foot former science gallery. The result of years of researching innovative and engaging learning activities for children ages 6-10, this gallery was a unique contribution to science education.

A tribute to internationally acclaimed 20th century artist Alexander Calder, "Calder's Art: A Circus of Creativity," was the first major fine arts exhibit displayed at a children's museum. During its seven month venue, more than 768,000 people visited the exhibit, making it one of the most popular exhibits ever hosted by the museum.

In 1999, Peter Sterling retired after 17 years at the museum. His successor, Dr. Jeffrey H. Patchen, came to the museum after serving as the senior program officer for the Getty Education Institute for the Arts, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, since 1996.

Today, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis (with a full time and part time staff of over 400) houses hundreds of changing and permanent exhibits in twelve galleries. The museum offers more than 4,000 programs and activities each year (including performing arts seasons on the Lilly Theater stage) and maintains a collection of more than 105,000 artifacts. And the museum's reputation continues to grow. In 1983, the museum was one of 13 institutions in the country selected for the Smithsonian's Kellogg Foundation Museum Education Project. Since 1984, the museum has been named as one of the country's leading children's museums by The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, Time, Esquire Magazine, Newsweek, USA Today, Smithsonian Magazine and NBC's Today Show.

Every year, museum staff members serve as eager consultants to the fledgling children's museums being developed throughout the United States and around the world. And as it continues to pioneer the museum and education worlds, The Children's Museum looks to the leaders of the 21st century -- specifically the kids who it is serving today -- for guidance and vision.