Cleveland Museum of Natural History to Pioneer a New Model for Natural History Museums Through Expansion and Transformation
Pioneering a new model for natural history museums, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History will break ground on June 24, 2021, on a $150 million expansion, complete reinstallation of its exhibits, and development of new public spaces. The project marks a rare opportunity for a natural history museum to reinvent its entire complex to tell a unified story of life and the forces that shape the planet. The use of the Museum’s outstanding historical and living collections, the latest scientific research, and immersive technologies will allow visitors to see themselves as part of a continuum of life on Earth and as part of the broader Universe. Various areas of the Museum will remain open throughout the expansion, and phased openings of the new and reimagined spaces will begin in 2022.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History—now celebrating its 100th anniversary—holds more than 5 million artifacts and specimens, and stewards more than 11,000 acres of nature preserves. It is one of the country’s leading research institutions across diverse fields, with premier collections ranging from the evidence of human origins to the evidence of ancient ecosystems during catastrophic extinctions.
“The events of the past year have underscored the ways in which human life is inexorably bound up with natural forces, and how a robust understanding of current science is needed to make critical choices in our daily lives,” said Sonia Winner, Cleveland Museum of Natural History President & CEO. “We are creating a new model for natural history museums that uses the past to inform our present to build a better future together. Our reimagined Museum will illuminate the interconnectedness of human life and the natural world, and how science is essential to our lives.”
The physical and programmatic transformation of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is underpinned by a vision to promote scientific literacy and empower individuals to be a voice for the planet in their communities. In tandem with the expansion, the Museum is adding new curatorial posts, including an Assistant Curator of Environment and an Assistant Curator of Planetary Systems, that reflect the Museum's approach of dismantling the structure of traditional, siloed scientific disciplines to more effectively link research to education, public programming, and the work of other researchers nationally and globally.
Sally Sears, Museum Board member and Campaign Co-Chair, said, “When I took my own children to the Museum, I saw the power of its collections and educational programming to spark wonder and discovery. Our reimagined exhibits will put visitors at the center of the experience and make the Museum even more accessible, relevant, and fun.”
Dr. Gavin Svenson, Director of Research & Collections, added, “It is of paramount importance for scientists to communicate the relevance of their work to the public. The research we conduct and the collections we study provide a unique window into the health and well-being of our planet and our own lives. By transforming our exhibits and our programming, we can reveal these connections to advance public scientific literacy, increase people’s understanding of their role in the environment, and foster people’s agency in the vital decisions they face every day.”
THE EXPANSION
The redesigned exhibits, developed by Gallagher & Associates in collaboration with the Museum’s curatorial, collections, and education teams, will take a new approach to natural history. These exhibits will avoid traditional compartmentalization by time period, geography, and types of living things to present integrated storylines of planetary and biological processes, making these powerful forces tangible and relevant to contemporary life.
As the exhibits holistically integrate and interpret the collections, the architectural design by DLR Group weaves together the original Museum building and six disparate expansions from the past century into a unified complex. Drawing on the history of glaciation at the Museum’s site and in the region, the design’s curving white forms of glass fiber reinforced concrete evoke the glaciers that carved the Great Lakes, while revealing how the forces at play in the region have also shaped the planet and continue to affect life today. Massive new exterior glass walls wrap around the building’s façade to open sightlines between the exhibits and the surrounding landscape of Wade Oval, embodying the Museum’s mission to reveal the dynamic connections between people and the world around them.
A new 50,000-square-foot addition constructed on what is currently a parking lot will be seamlessly interwoven with the existing structures to create a central welcome area and gateway to the Museum. This new Visitor Hall will feature signature Museum specimens, from a reconstruction of “Lucy,” the 3.2-million-year-old human ancestor first discovered by a team led by Museum scientists, to a geological sample collected from the Moon, to specimens of modern-day animals illustrating evolutionary change, biological diversity, and human impact on the natural world. This space will be open to the public, free of charge. From this expansive visitor center, the exhibits will be organized in two wings, one dedicated to planetary processes and the other to biological processes. These wings will be anchored respectively by the Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium & Ralph Mueller Observatory and the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank.
A new self-guided interactive space, the Ames Family Curiosity Center, made possible by the B. Charles and Jay G. Ames Foundation, will foster real-time connections between the Museum’s collections, visitors’ lived experiences, and science-related news from around the world. By engaging in activities from specimen identification to designing their own experiments, participants will use the fundamentals of the scientific process to answer questions about the world around us, and to better understand how science informs actions they can take in their lives and communities. In addition to exhibits, the transformation will feature new labs for educational programming as well as expanded visitor amenities and event spaces.
The Museum’s transformation builds on the recently completed Gateway Projects, including the creation of a Current Science area in the main lobby, where the Museum is testing new concepts and approaches to engage visitors with its collections and research; a reconfiguration of the Thelma and Kent H. Smith Environmental Courtyard, to reflect Northeast Ohio’s native flora, geology, and watersheds; and an upgrade of its 440-seat Murch Auditorium.
About the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History illuminates the world around us and inspires visitors to engage with the natural forces that shape their lives. Since its founding in 1920, the Museum has pioneered scientific research to advance knowledge across diverse fields of study and used its outstanding collections, which encompass millions of artifacts and specimens, to deepen the public’s understanding of the dynamic connections between humans and nature. Through its Natural Areas Program, the Museum stewards more than 11,000 acres of protected ecosystems across northern Ohio. A community gathering place, educational center, and research institution, the Museum is a vital resource that serves Cleveland and the nation. For more information, visit CMNH.org.
About DLR Group
DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation, and adaptive reuse. Our promise is to elevate the human experience through design. This promise inspires sustainable design for a diverse group of public and private sector clients, local communities, and our planet. DLR Group is 100 percent employee-owned and fully supports the initiatives and goals of the 2030 Challenge and is an initial signatory to the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment. For more information, visit dlrgroup.com.
About Gallagher & Associates
Gallagher & Associates (G&A) is an internationally recognized museum and cultural institution planning and design firm. With interdisciplinary studios in Washington, D.C., New York City, Portland, and Asia, G&A brings a highly regarded collaborative style, design excellence, and unparalleled service to clients around the world. The firm’s projects have been recognized repeatedly for ingenuity, creativity, and immersive storytelling. For more information, visit gallagherdesign.com.
