The Mütter Museum, home to a unique collection of medical curiosities, has announced renovation plans to double its exhibition space by 2023 through a fundraising campaign that has already raised $10.7 million of its $25 million goal.
If you're worried about alterations to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia building, completed in 1909, the Mütter assures that the footprint and structure will not change.
According to the Mütter, to create 82 percent more public exhibition space, the existing library stacks within the building will be rehabilitated for efficient and modern storage.
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The Mütter's expansion will also create the two-story Grand Gallery to improve traffic through the museum and show off more of the museum's collection.
The Mütter states that more than 183,000 people visit annually to experience the collection of 25,000 objects, but nearly 90 percent of the Mütter collection sits in storage and out of public view.
"As we thought about the future of the College, we asked ourselves two questions," said Dr. Wohlreich, President and CEO, College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
"How can we create new space where the library and the museum can work together to enhance understanding of the history and future of medicine? And how can we create the environment where the public, students and researchers can learn from and interact with the entire collection?"
Construction is expected to begin in 2020 or 2021.
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