What happened to the dinosaurs?
The broad scientific answer is complex.
The local answer is: They're coming back soon.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is nearing the end of its decade-long, $150-million renovation. By late 2024, several new galleries will be open, putting the region’s natural history back on display for visitors.
“This building could not be built anywhere else on Earth,” said CMNH CEO Sonia Winner. “I think that's very important for everyone who's proud of this region to think about.”
Winner took the helm at CMNH in 2018, reshaping the project and getting it on track to finish two years ahead of schedule. In her opinion, the museum will be the place for a “diffusion of knowledge.”
“Knowledge is to be shared, and that has always been our mission,” she said. “Whether it was in the 1920s or the 1950s or now. Now, we have the opportunity to have the architecture that reflects that mission and the space in which to share that with the community.”
The facility on University Circle will be 63% larger by the end of the project. In recent years, the museum added a parking garage and unveiled new outdoor wildlife and children’s areas. Gone are the galleries which are grouped by subject, such as dinosaurs or gems. Instead, Winner said two galleries, Dynamic Earth and Evolving Life, will tell the integrated story of natural history.
“You’re going to be able to see an integrated story of natural history,” Winner said. “We want to showcase the beauty… but also we want to give people hope with all of the things going on in the world. We want to make sure that people understand that there is hope for the planet and there is hope for our own health - and that our health is so intertwined with planetary health.”
Winner points to the museum’s role in bringing the bald eagle back to Ohio and preservation of Balto the sled dog as two examples of stories already being told at the museum. She hopes the new galleries will also help people understand “why bugs are important to our food, but also what it means when bird populations leave.”
Dynamic Earth will also include the museum’s pendulum, which used to be in the main entryway, adjacent to the soon-to-open Ames Curiosity Center.
“You find something in your backyard, and you don't know what it is,” Winner said. “You can come here and our scientists can help you find out what it is. It’s really helping to develop citizen scientists: Those who are really interested in science but not sure what the next step is in what they want to discover.”
The museum is still about $20 million from its fundraising goal for the project. In November, it received a donation with an unusual twist. An anonymous couple pledged $10 million in exchange for naming rights to the new visitor hall. However, if donors come up with an additional $10 million, the couple plans to relinquish those rights.
