Museum of Natural History plans new $325M research center

A yet-to-be designed, six-story building would occupy a space nearby

The American Museum of Natural History at 79th Street and Central Park West on the Upper West Side
The American Museum of Natural History at 79th Street and Central Park West on the Upper West Side

The American Museum of Natural History is set to expand along Columbus Avenue.

A $325 million, six-story addition that is supposed to help grow the museum’s role as a center for scientific research and education is coming to an open space in the surrounding Theodore Roosevelt Park, according to the New York Times. The new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation has not yet been designed.

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The proposed 218,000-square-foot addition would open in 2019, the museum‘s 150th anniversary, the newspaper reported. Roughly 180,000 square feet would be newly created. This would be the most significant addition to the museum since the Art Deco Hayden Planetarium became the glass-enclosed Rose Center for Earth and Space in 2000.

Several city agencies — including the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Cultural Affairs Department and the Parks Department — will first have to approve the addition to the landmarked, city-owned building. The city, however, has already included $15 million for the addition in the capital budget. [NYT] Claire Moses