Originally posted 1:48 p.m., July 18, 2014

Kidzu Children’s Museum will close at 5 p.m. next Saturday and reopen at a new location in University Mall by mid-November.

The museum’s Director of Education Lisa Van Deman says that’s because Silverspot Cinema, which is taking the place of Dillard’s, needs the space currently occupied by Kidzu.

“We knew that all along this was going to be a temporary location for us, and as Silverspot Cinema construction is growing and their timeline is what it is, the mall is moving us to another Launch Pad space farther down the hall,” says Van Deman.

Silverspot Cinema is a 52,500 square foot luxury movie theater slated to open at University Mall in 2015.

Current Kidzu members will get credit for the months the museum is closed, and any membership that is scheduled to lapse during that time will be adjusted so families receive a full year of membership.

Van Deman says museum staffers have tried to keep families up to date as much as possible.

“As quickly as we get information, we have bent over backwards to turn it over to our members and our visitors in a timely manner.”

While the new location undergoes renovation, Van Deman says Kidzu plans to offer activities at the University Mall stage and in the wider community. When the museum reopens, she says it should look and feel much like the current space.

“It’s going to be every bit as awesome as our current Launch Pad,” says Van Deman. “It’s about the same size and we have the same design staff. It’s going to represent what Kidzu is, and that is your community’s children’s museum.”

Kidzu is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise money for a permanent location atop the Wallace Parking Deck. Van Deman says this latest move drives home that need.

“This is part of building a permanent home. It just really demonstrates that need all the more, that Kidzu needs that permanent home. We’re going to need community support to get there.”

You can find out more about Kidzu’s plans here.