The Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio has opened a new visitor hall as part of its ongoing $150 million transformation and expansion.
The 14,650-square-foot visitor hall is free to the public and will serve as the heart of the reimagined museum when the overall project completes in late 2024.
Per a press release, the visitor hall features iconic specimens on display along a timeline that reflects milestones in the history of the universe.
These include the museum’s sauropod dinosaur, known as Happy and featured in the logo, and the 3.2 million-year-old partial fossil skeleton of the species Australopithecus afarensis, nicknamed Lucy.
Also on view are Balto, the lead dog of a 1925 team of sled dogs, a moon rock on loan from NASA, a model of a bald eagle, and a giant armoured fish called Dunk.
“The museum has always been a valuable resource to our city, our region, and the world,” said Sonia Winner, the museum’s president and CEO.
“We are excited to celebrate the return of our museum’s most beloved specimens in a community space that is free to all visitors.
$150m redevelopment and expansion
“This is an exciting milestone in our transformation that has been in the making for 20 years. We now have a little more than a year until we unveil the museum’s new wings and the completely reimagined exhibits that will put our guests at the center of the experience.”
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History broke ground on the redevelopment in 2021. It includes upgrades to the collections and exhibit areas, research spaces, offices and classrooms, and the reorganisation of the public galleries.
The institution opened part of its transformed campus in 2022, including a new entrance, an updated education wing, and renewed galleries.
Images courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
