December 07, 2024
Provided Image/Science History Institute
The Science History Institute in Old City will be temporarily restricted from the public from Dec. 21 to March 8 for renovations, which will include a lobby facelift and a new exhibition space.
The Science History Institute in Old City will undergo extensive renovations starting Dec. 21, closing off to the public while a new exhibition space, production studio and gift shop are installed.
The museum will reopen on March 8, but the full project will not be completed until an unspecified date in May. The institute says that the project will allow it to expand its programming to the public both in-person and online. Atkin Olshin Shade Architects is the designer of the project, which costs $3.3 million.
The lobby redesign will feature an exhibit that details the history and science behind a collection of over 20 minerals donated to the museum, including crystals, gemstones and a meteorite.
Other renovations include an "ultramodern" podcast studio with a control room and a recording space; the institute produces shows including "Distillations" and "Disappearing Spoon." A new photography studio will also host digitization projects.
"It’s fitting that this project touches on all the ways we tell the stories behind the science: interpretation of a new collection, creation of a recording studio for our award-winning podcasts, and modernization of our photography space so we can provide high-quality digital reproductions of our collections for scholarly and general use," Institute president and CEO David Cole said in a statement.
Additionally, a new gift shop will sell Institute-branded merchandise and items displaying imagery from the museum's digital collections.
While the museum's physical space is temporarily closed, its outdoor exhibition "Sensational Science" will still be open. Visitors can also book a virtual tour or go through digital exhibitions.
