CLEVELAND — It is Ohio’s own powerhouse of science and discovery, home to world-renowned research involving our planet’s past and present. Now, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History is continuing its own evolution and welcoming a new era with the grand opening this weekend of its multi-year, multi-million dollar total transformation.
“We have really tried to listen to the community and what they really wanted in a natural history museum,” said Sonia Winner, Cleveland Museum of Natural History president and chief executive officer.
In addition to adding exhibit space for a total of about 375,000 square feet of galleries, the building’s nearly $150 million makeover includes lots of windows and natural light.
“You can see we have dots on the windows to prevent birds flying in,” Winner said, referencing the panes stretching from floor to ceiling in one of the museum’s new wings, Sears Dynamic Earth.
Environmentally-conscious construction catapults the facility into a new stratosphere of sustainability, as the first and only museum in the country to earn a platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
“We’re really proud of the fact that we’re really, the architecture and the wings and everything about us reflects our mission,” Winner said.
For more than a century, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has used scientific evidence to educate and guide visitors to a better understanding of not only the region, but universe, with the goal of inspiring generations of guests toward a future-focused mindset aimed at protecting the planet.
About 80% of the museum’s 5 million piece collection is from Ohio. Each piece was refurbished and stored during construction.
“I always say they went to the beauty salon and came back,” Winner said.
The first phase of the renovation/expansion project was completed in 2022 and included a gallery of Andy Warhol artwork depicting endangered species, the Smead Discovery Center for kids and an updated planetarium.
“We went from a 4K projections system with two projectors, and now we're at six projectors with a 6.5K resolution,” said Monica Marshall, an astronomer. “And what that means is just brighter and crisp imagery.”
Marshall uses an Xbox controller to guide indoor stargazers through our solar system.
“Feel like I can float around in space, which just gives me tons of joy,” she said.
Winner said the Shafran Planetarium is a core part of the museum, reflected in its updated floor plan putting the planetarium between the building’s two new wings.
“The magical thing I think about, looking up into the sky and in a planetarium, it does make you remember that you're part of something much bigger and that, you know, everything we do is part of the earth and and part of the universe and when the universe began,” she said. “And that's what we're also trying to inspire people to think about the magic of nature and science.“
The Visitor Hall opened last December and gives guests a chance to walk through time and examine the museum’s eight iconic objects for free. Among the items is a dinosaur skeleton named “Happy,” that was discovered by four teenagers from the museum, and Balto, a sled dog who delivered a serum to save an Alaskan town from an epidemic in 1925 and lived out the latter part of his life in northeast Ohio.
“So it's telling the story of Cleveland, as well, that we're really proud of,” Winner said.
Beginning Sunday, people can explore the entirety of the museum and its interactive immersive experiences for all ages.
The Ames Family Curiosity Center provides an opportunity for visitors to take a closer look at specimens native to the Buckeye State.
“Real opportunity to do something different than most museums,” Chief Science Officer Gavin Svenson said. “You can't be able to have that experience of self-exploration, but you can with this.”
Microscopes are provided to allow visitors to gain a different perspective on insects and other items.
“Some people need to touch, feel, see and really, like, build a connection with it to remember and form some sort of connection with that,” he said. “So the goal was to provide that kind of experience for people.“
Svenson earned a doctorate as an evolutionary biologist and joined the museum 13 years ago.
“My research focused on praying mantises, which are the coolest organism out there,” he said.
Some of his findings are now on display in the new Evolving Life wing.
“If anybody told me 20 years ago that my Ph.D. would end up in a four-foot display case, I don't think I would believe them,” he said.
He said including insights discovered by museum scientists helps show the impact of their work.
“We’re not just science repeaters, we’re science generators,” he said. “We’re contributing to the overall global story. I mean, this museum is on the map for human origins. We were the institution that discovered Lucy. So people from Cleveland can see that we're an institution born of here and making impact on a global level in the world of science.“
He said exhibits throughout the museum were designed to break down complicated concepts for all levels of learning. One display shows the connection between dinosaurs and modern birds, as species evolve to take flight.
“Everything is not behind glass,” Svenson said. “It’s open, it’s airy. And the birds are literally flying up and over your heads.”
It’s all in an effort to spark a curiosity that leads visitors to ask more questions and become engaged in lifelong learning.
“What I want people to feel and experience and take away from this ultimately, is whether you want to become a scientist, whether you're going to go work in finance or manufacturing, that you build a connection with the natural world and you understand how you're connected to it and you understand why it's important,” Svenson said.
Hoping to build upon the museum’s legacy by combining technology with dynamic displays meant to be updated as new knowledge unfolds.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Svenson said. “You don't get to work at museums and reimagine the entire museum. Like who? Who gets to do something like that?”
Connecting the past with the present to help ensure a better future.
“Unless there's an understanding of what that relevance is, then we run the risk of not really seeing the world for what it is, a resource that we're a part of, and we need to care for and protect,” he said.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History officially opens to the public Sunday. For tickets and information, visit cmnh.org.