FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

- I have items that belonged to a deceased relative.  Can I donate these to the Museum?

- I have a painting by a Polish artist.  Can you tell me its value?

- My ancestor lived in Chicago around 1900.  Can you give me more information about him/ her?

- My family will be visiting the Museum next month.  What else is there to do in Chicago?

- Are there any Polish restaurants near the Museum?

- Where is the Polish neighborhood in Chicago located?

- Can we get a guided tour of the Museum?

- I have some letters written in Polish.  Can you translate these for me?

- I would like to rent the Museum space for an upcoming wedding reception, how do I arrange this?

- I have items that belonged to a deceased relative.  Can I donate these to the Museum?
It depends.  We have limited storage space and must be selective about what we will accept.  Please prepare a list of the items you want to donate and send it to the Museum.  We will advise you what we will accept.

- I have a painting by a Polish artist.  Can you tell me its value?  No!  This is potentially a conflict of interest.  Contact the agent who handles your property or renters insurance and ask the agent to recommend a qualified appraiser.

- My ancestor lived in Chicago around 1900.  Can you give me more information about him/ her?  No.  We do not have information about past residents of Chicago or any other city.  We have newspaper obituaries and some selected church records available on microfilm.  Please go to our genealogy page for more information on getting started with your genealogical research.

- My family will be visiting the Museum next month.  What else is there to do in Chicago?  Please click on the links page for information about Chicago tourism.

- Are there any Polish restaurants near the Museum?  Yes.  Podhalanka restaurant is about three city-blocks from the Museum.  Any Museum Staff can give you directions at the time of your visit.  The restaurant is very near to the Division Street Blue Line subway station.  There are also very good non-Polish restaurants near the Museum.

- Where is the Polish neighborhood in Chicago located?  The nearest Polish neighborhood to the Museum is located about four miles northwest of the Museum, at the junction of Belmont Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue.  It can be reached by car or Public Transportation.  Museum Staff can give you more information at the time of your visit.

- Can we get a guided tour of the Museum?  This would be difficult.  The Museum is large and has a great many exhibits.  We have very limited staff available, usually just one person who handles visitor questions as well as the Gift Shop.  We can give visitors an overview of the Museum and its history.  We can answer questions and provide additional information on specific exhibits.  Taking your group from exhibit to exhibit is not practical.

- I have some letters written in Polish.  Can you translate these for me?  Generally, no.  We can suggest people who can translate but they will charge you a fee.  However, sometimes there are exceptions to this general rule.  It is best to send a description (quantity, dates, nature of the documents, if known, etc.,) of the documents to the Museum.  For example, some years ago a person came in with quite a number of letters, correspondence between two sisters in the U.S. and their father in Poland.  What interested us was that the letters spanned the period of 1914 to 1925.  This was a critical period in Polish history and a long sequence of letters is very rare.  We scanned all the letters and provided translations at no charge in order to add this information to our Archives.

- I would like to rent the Museum space for an upcoming wedding reception, how do I arrange this?  Sorry, we do not rent out our facility to individuals.  We do rent out our facility to community groups with relationships to the Polish community.

TIPS ON VISITING THE MUSEUM

• Please allow at least one hour for your visit.  There is a lot to see in the Museum and you will want to visit the Gift Shop.  The building that houses the Museum must be secured at 4:00 p.m.  You will not be allowed to stay beyond that time for security reasons.  Please also realize that Museum Staff will begin preparing for shut-down before 4:00 p.m. and may not be available for the Gift Shop.
• If you are bringing small children to the Museum you will be expected to control their behavior such that their safety is assured.  Running or throwing objects is never allowed in the Museum.  If Staff notice such behavior you will be asked to control your children or leave the Museum.  Visiting the Museum is a privilege, not a right.  You may be held liable for any damages caused.
• Please be patient during your visit.  The Museum has limited staff and someone may not be immediately available to see to your wishes.
• Please do ask questions of the Staff!  Museum Staff have a great deal of knowledge, particularly about the Polish-American community as well as the exhibits in the Museum.
• Do not assume that Museum Staff are fluent in Polish.  In fact, some have no Polish language capability.
• Please be prepared to make your donation without asking for change.  Museum Staff have some capability for making change for large bills but it is limited, especially on weekends.  Please do not ask us to provide change for bus or subway fares.
• We can call a taxi for you if you ask.  This is usually only necessary on weekends.  On weekdays you will wait no more than five minutes to catch a cab in front of the building.
• Museum Staff can give you information and help about getting around Chicago.  We can direct you to the Polish neighborhoods in Chicago and suggest where you can find Polish food.
• Museum Staff can give you information about Polish Catholic churches in the area.
• Please watch your step when walking about, especially in the stairwells.  All too often we have visitors so interested in the displays of art that they miss a step and take a tumble.  Please do take care!
• Please do not play the piano!
• If you are visiting as the result of a school assignment, please let the Museum Staff know this when you enter the Museum.  Museum Staff are aware of these types of assignments and can help you meet the requirements.  We are always most happy to tell you about the history and background of the Museum.

EMAIL: pma@prcua.org