Area residents hoping to visit the Florida Museum of Natural History before it closes for an extended period of time for major renovations next year will now have a little bit more time to make those plans.
The Florida Museum’s $30 million expansion project, which was originally budgeted at $20 million and expected to to start in January, will now begin after its closure on March 24. The museum anticipates reopening in 2026.
“We are excited to welcome visitors further into spring, staying open longer for the community to enjoy,” said Kaitlin Gardiner, the Florida Museum’s communications manager. “While the physical museum at Powell Hall will temporarily close after March 23, 2025, we look forward to bringing expanded engagement opportunities to audiences outside our walls for the duration of construction.”
Gardiner said the project’s full budget was restored by the University of Florida administration.
This is a rendering of the upgrades to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s lobby and Collectors Shop.
Updates to the museum at 3215 Hull Road include an expanded front entrance with an updated modern façade, a larger collectors shop, new state-of-the-art exhibition and learning spaces, and an upgraded outdoor picnic table area.
The expansion also will include the construction of a two-story, 6,000-square-foot building on the west side of Powell Hall that will house educational spaces and UF’s Thompson Earth Systems Institute.
“A new, interactive exhibit space will focus on the Thompson Earth Systems Institute (TESI) and will help Floridians to become good stewards of the state’s natural heritage,” Gardiner said.
The museum’s lobby area, front desk and restrooms in the Central Gallery also will be renovated. The Fossil Plant Garden will be incorporated into the new exhibit space.
All permanent exhibits, including the “Butterfly Rainforest,” will be open through March 23.
Gardiner said the museum’s closure will have an impact on some employees, including those with front-line visitor services positions, which will end on March 24.
“Many staff members whose duties are not directly tied to visitor services will remain unaffected by the closure, with temporary modifications to their roles as needed,” she said.
The expansion is designed by Ennead Architects, a New York City-based firm that specializes in transformative design for public institutions, and Gainesville-based Scorpio Construction is the general contractor.
The Florida Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Museum at UF to close in March for construction project