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1. What will the Innovation Gateway add to the community and downtown area?

Innovation Gateway will be the new “front door” to the Naper Settlement experience. With a new, open, versatile, state of the art visitor processing center, Innovation Gateway will provide improved ADA accessibility and ensure that all feel welcome.

Innovation Gateway’s centerpiece is an interactive 3-D digital experience that expands the south wall filled with images and stories that can be explored by person, theme, timeline, or artifact. With a tap on the screen, our story and the nations will come to life. Anyone anytime can upload their own story, photos, and recollections where it becomes a living archive of voices and experiences that unfold at your fingertips. This forward-thinking project will create a living legacy to inspire current and future generations and steer a path of a better tomorrow by showcasing our history, diversity, community leaders, and growth.

2. How much does the Innovation Gateway cost?

The budget for the Innovation Gateway is $4.4 million. The Naperville Heritage Society, administrator of Naper Settlement, has recently received a generous combined grant award and gifts totaling $1,000,000 in support of the museum’s Heritage Gateway and Innovation Hall. The Naperville Heritage Society received a $500,000 grant from the Tellabs Foundation, and gifts totaling $500,000 from Christopher and Christine Birck and The Birck Family Fund at The Chicago Community Foundation.

3. When will the Innovation Gateway be completed?

The Innovation Gateway’s construction is funding dependent and we hope to  break ground in the next year.

4. What can I do to help this project?

You can help in a variety of ways! We are looking for donations of all kinds, including financial support, oral histories, and artifacts. We are incredibly excited to get this project off the ground and with your help we can make this happen. To donate or to learn more, please email us.