The Cleveland Museum of Natural History Fact Sheet

Brief History: Cleveland's first collection of natural history began in the 1830s in a small, wooden building known as “the Ark.” Located in Cleveland’s Public Square, “the Ark” consisted of two rooms that were packed with animal specimens. Through the passion and enthusiasm of a group of men who frequented “the Ark,” The Cleveland Museum of Natural History was founded in 1920. Today, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is one of the finest natural history museums in North America with an emphasis on scientific research, conservation and education.

Executive Director: Bonnie Cummings, chief operating officer, and interim executive director

Board of Trustees Officers: A. Chace Anderson, president; Claiborne R. Rankin, vice president; Nathaniel T. Smith, vice president; Thomas A. Tormey, vice president; Jonathon L. Grimm, treasurer; Gordon D. Kinder, secretary

Looking Toward the Future: In 2007, the Museum selected Fentress Architects Ltd. of Denver, Colorado, as the architectural firm that will design plans for a major Museum expansion/renovation project. In 2008, the Museum retained Boston exhibits design firm Christopher Chadbourne & Associates Inc. for the project.   

Visitors: 270,000 annually (calendar year 2008)

Membership: 7,400 members

Public Education Programs: More than 140

Students Served Annually: 100,000

Admission:
Adults (ages 19 and up): $9
Youths (ages 7 through 18): $7
College students with ID: $7
Seniors (60 and up or with a Golden Buckeye Card): $7
Accessibility (wheelchair) rate: $6
Children (ages 3 to 6): $6; Toddlers (age 2 and under): FREE
Tuesday/Thursday Special: Children 12 and under FREE after 3 p.m.; Wednesdays:  $5 after 5 p.m.

Hours of Operation:
Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; Closed: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day

Permanent Exhibits:
Lucy- (Australopithecus afarensis) a skeletal cast of a 3.2-million-year-old species of a human ancestor
Happy- (Haplocanthosaurus delfsi) is the oldest sauropod on exhibit anywhere and the most complete adult specimen of this 70-foot-long, 14-foot-high dinosaur skeleton
Jane- a skeletal cast of a juvenile tyrannosaur
Triceratops horridus- a 21-foot-long replica of a dinosaur that lived from 68 million to 65 million years ago
Tyrannosaurus rex- a full-sized replica of one of the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth
Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden- a 2.2-acre outdoor gallery that features Ohio’s native animals and plants
Dunk- (Dunkleosteus terrelli) a 360-million-year-old fish with a big bite
Balto- a heroic dog who helped transport diphtheria serum to save lives in 1925
Steggie- (Stegosaurus) a life-sized Stegosaurus that welcomes visitors at the front entrance
Shafran Planetarium- a glimpse at the universe and beyond featuring live shows
Mueller Observatory- houses a 105-year-old, 10½-inch Warner & Swasey telescope
Wade Gallery- showcases the Museum’s collection of more than 1,500 gems and minerals

Collections: More than 5 million artifacts and specimens.  Includes the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection, which is the largest, most researched and published collection of modern human and non-human primate skeletons in the world. The Museum’s Natural Areas Division protects more than 4,500 acres of rare natural habitats throughout Northeast Ohio to preserve and restore biodiversity.

Research: Curators focus on 11 natural science disciplines including: archaeology, botany, cultural anthropology, invertebrate paleontology, invertebrate zoology, mineralogy, ornithology, paleobotany, physical anthropology, vertebrate paleontology and vertebrate zoology.

Curators:
Jim Bissell, Ph.D., Curator of Botany
Shya Chitaley, Ph.D., Curator of Paleobotany
Yohannes Haile-Selassie, Ph.D., Curator of Physical Anthropology
Joe Hannibal, Ph.D., Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology
Andy Jones, Ph.D., Curator of Ornithology
Joe Keiper, Ph.D., Director of Science & Curator of Invertebrate Zoology
Tim Matson, Ph.D., Curator of Vertebrate Zoology
Brian Redmond, Ph.D., Curator of Archaeology
Michael Ryan, Ph.D., Coordinator of Research & Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology
David Saja, Ph.D., Curator of Mineralogy

Other Experts:
David Beach, Director of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute at the Museum
Linda Spurlock, Ph.D., Director of Human Health

Employees: 100 full-time and 66 part-time

Volunteers: 246
 
Hours Donated: 24,300 during calendar year 2008

Sources of Income: Endowment income, operating income, annual fund contributions

Annual Operating Budget: $12.8 million (fiscal year ending June 2008)

For more information, call 216-231-4600 or 800-317-9155 or visit www.cmnh.org.