Florida Museum on UF campus to close for over a year in January for major expansion project

The Florida Museum of Natural History is embarking on a large-scale expansion project that will see Powell Hall and its public exhibitions temporarily closed beginning Jan. 6, 2025.

This extensive renovation will allow the institution to better serve the community through new state-of-the-art exhibition and learning spaces, an updated modern façade, and a larger collector’s shop. The museum anticipates re-opening in 2026.

“Unfortunately, the positions of about two dozen of our front-line staff who interact with visitors daily will be paused during this closure, but we are enthusiastic about welcoming them back and appreciate all that they do to make each visitor’s experience special,” said Florida Museum Director Douglas S. Jones. “This decision was not an easy or simple one to make. However, it was not financially feasible or operationally prudent to maintain the museum open, given the extensive renovations that will take place.”

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A temporary closure was necessary to preserve the visitor experience and will significantly shorten the length of the project. There will be 29 temporary staff that will be directly impacted by the closure. Salaried staff will remain unaffected by the closure with minor temporary modifications to their roles.

“While the physical doors of the museum will be temporarily closed, we will continue to have a very dynamic, uninterrupted presence in the community, bringing new and expanded engagement opportunities to audiences outside our walls,” said Jaret Daniels, interim director of exhibits and public programs.

During this time, the museum hopes to broaden its partnership and education offerings across the North Central Florida, including outreach, pop-up exhibits and events.

The closure will also enable a needed refresh to other existing exhibits, help increase energy conservation and facilitate hosting exciting contemporary traveling exhibitions in the future. As a living exhibit, the “Butterfly Rainforest” will continue to be maintained by staff. Shipments of new butterflies will be paused, while all other animals and plants will be cared for throughout the duration.

The expansion is designed by Ennead Architects, a New York City-based firm that specializes in transformative design for public institutions, and Scorpio Construction is the general contractor. The project's budget is $20 million.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida Museum on UF campus to close for over a year in January for major expansion project