Reconstruction Brings Exhibit
Grand Re-opening Set for Spring ’07
UConn Foundation newsletter Momentum, Fall 2006 issue
The Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is nearing the end of phase I of renovations to its Hillside Road facility. Reconstruction on the second floor, which will triple the museum’s square footage, is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year, followed by a grand re-opening of the museum in spring 2007.
The museum also incorporates the Connecticut Archaeology Center and the Office of State Archaeology (OSA), which oversees state archaeological sites and maintains a complete library of historic state records and site maps. The museum has collected nearly $500,000 in donations from hundreds of committed members. With matching funds from the state through the 21st Century UConn program, approximately $1 million was raised to bring classrooms and permanent exhibit space to the museum for the first time in its 21-year history.
“The thing that we’re most proud of is that half of it has come from private donations,” says museum Director Leanne Kennedy Harty. “We have the College, the UConn Foundation and a long list of donors to thank.”
The museum is now developing modern exhibits that will take advantage of the new space and reinforce its mission to explore the dynamic relationship between human culture and the environment through history. “We’re very excited,” notes State Archaeologist Nicholas Bellantoni.
While the museum plans its grand re-opening, Harty and Bellantoni are already looking forward to the next step in completing the long-term $4.5-million reconstruction plan. They are counting on momentum from phase I to gather support to begin building a much-needed collections storage facility, an archaeology lab and a library to house the OSA’s 8,000-volume holdings, which are now stored in a small facility across campus, within the next few years.
“Logistically, getting access to [the OSA’s] materials right now is difficult…We’d love to have more students, teachers and researchers using them,” says Bellantoni. “When we’re able to bring all of our resources together, it will help us more effectively do our jobs, but also certainly help students more.”
