The American Writers Museum (AWM), founded in 2010 by Malcolm O’Hagan, a retired executive, will open on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago in early 2017, the New York Times reports.

The 11,000-square-foot-space—a brief walk from the Millennium Park and the Art Institute of Chicago—will differ from the many small museums dedicated to particular genres and individual writers for its focus on American writers’ “influence on our history, our identity, our culture, and our daily lives,” reads the AWM mission statement.

Indeed, the AWM will feature exhibits that chronicle the development of American literature as well as its various guises, including children’s literature, westerns, mysteries, and other genre fiction. There will be some interactive exhibits as well, including a “Visitors’ Favorites” section where visitors can nominate favorite authors, books, and quotes.

The permanent exhibits will feature authors and works selected by a team of “subject matter experts,” says Nike Whitcomb, AWM executive director.

The institution has already raised more than $3.3 million toward its $10 million start-up costs, reports Publisher’s Weekly; Whitcomb believes the museum will draw 120,000 visitors annually and net $1,750,000 in revenue by 2021.

The AWM has also received two grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and two grants from the Chicago Community Trust.

Image Credit: American Writers Museum