The Cleveland Museum of Natural History completed its brand-new Visitor Hall, an expansive public space featuring some of the museum’s most iconic attractions.
As you enter the space, guests will follow the timeline of the history of the universe, which is embedded with markers in the floor, and visit eight important specimens that are showcased in a new and modern way.
A few highlights include Balto, the famous sled dog who lead a team along the 674-mile Iditarod Trail to deliver life-saving medicine to children in a remote area of Alaska; ‘Happy,’ the Haplocanthosaurus dinosaur and inspiration behind the museum’s logo; ‘Lucy,’ a world-famous 3.2 million-year-old partial fossil skeleton discovered by Dr. Donald Johanson, former curator of the museum, and fossils of ‘Dunk,’ a giant armored fish that once lived in Northeast Ohio more than 58 million years ago.
Gavin Svenson, Chief Science Officer of the museum says the layout of Visitor Hall relates to the earth’s history as well local history.
“We put these specimens out and these really cool scientific stories, because they really relate to the history of this museum, the history of science in the region, as well as the history of some of the major discoveries that Cleveland has, like Dunkleosteus. Most people don’t know that these things are in the shale deposits right underneath a lot of our feet.”
Visitor Hall is part of a $150 million museum transformation project. Two other gallery wings are set to open throughout the next year including Dynamic Earth, featuring a 4.6-billion-year-old story of the ever-changing planet and Evolving Life, which will feature specimens and interactive experiences focused on how living things change.
The museum is also working on the Ames Family Curiosity Center which will be a hands-on space with collections focusing on Ohio’s biodiversity.
Visitor Hall will be free for the public to visit during museum hours.
“The museum has always been a valuable resource to our city, our region and the world,” adds Sonia Winner, president and CEO of the museum. “We are excited to celebrate the return of our museum’s most beloved specimens in a community space that is free to all visitors.”
The museum is offering free admission to all guests on Sunday, October 15 as part of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Days and through the support of Nordson.