Discovery City children’s exhibit may soon have a new permanent home thanks to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. The Community Foundation is in the process of finalizing the purchase of a building in downtown Port Huron.

“We’re getting close to finalizing the purchase of 310 Huron Avenue,” said Randy Maiers, the Foundation’s President & CEO. “It has been for sale for a while now and would be an excellent Main Street location for Discovery City.” 

Discovery City children’s museum is currently housed on the ground floor of the Knowlton Museum building in Port Huron, which is owned by the Community Foundation. Due to interior repairs that need to be done, Discovery City will have to move out sooner than anticipated. The original lease between the Foundation and the City of Port Huron, which owns and operates Discovery City, had been set to expire in the first quarter of 2027.

The Children’s Museum has not only fostered the imaginations of thousands of children, but the Museum has proved to be an economic driver, bringing thousands of families into downtown from all over the state.

The new building would provide more play space than the exhibit currently has, with the full main floor and basement available for the exhibit. The building had been the home of Country Market until owners Steve Fernandez and Michelle Jones decided to close the market and retire. The second-floor of the building will continue to serve as mixed use for businesses offices and residential. 

Keeping Discovery City downtown and having it along main street could be very beneficial to fellow business owners. Kate Voss, the owner of Kate’s Downtown, across the street from Discovery City’s new home shared, “The Children’s Museum has been such a unique and exciting addition to downtown. We’re thrilled to have them even closer now. Almost every day, we see families heading over before or after lunch, and it’s become the perfect way to spend an afternoon downtown.”

The Community Foundation has a long and successful track record of developing, buying and owning real estate throughout the region, which advances its mission of vibrancy and prosperity.  In addition to the Knowlton Museum building, the Foundation has its offices just south of the black river in downtown Port Huron and also owns the Blue Water River Walk. 

“The Foundation has been partners with the City of Port Huron for more than 80 years,” Maiers added. “We’re hopeful that we can close on this new deal to provide a permanent and highly visible location for the Discovery City Children’s Museum.”

Once repairs are completed on the main floor of the Knowlton Museum building, the Foundation plans to bring back the Knowlton Family’s ice exhibits. “Arts and culture are critical aspects of any thriving community” Maiers said.  “And our board is excited about the idea of having two anchor attractions in the City of Port Huron.”