The west wing of the Canadian Museum of Nature reopened this month after renovations.
The west wing of the Canadian Museum of Nature is reopening after a month-long closure needed to improve the life of the building and keep it functioning for years to come.
The changes won’t be obvious to the public, but over the last month the museum has undergone renovations to ensure the sprinklers, fire alarms and security systems in the 100-year-old building are up to modern codes.
These systems in the west wing also had to be integrated with those in the entire building, says Dan Smythe, a media relations officer at the Museum of Nature.
On Oct. 31, visitors will again be able to wander through the fossil, mammal and bird galleries housed in this part of the museum. The closure was one of the last major steps in the overall rehabilitation of the building.
In 2004, the federal government approved the major facelift of the Victoria Memorial Building, which houses the museum.
The $216-million project includes new infrastructure for the heritage building, says Elizabeth McCrea, the museum’s manager of communications.
The renewal project also includes the creation of a grand atrium, more galleries and exhibits, and new visitor amenities, such as a café and boutique. The upgrades will be funded through the museum’s yearly appropriations and its national fundraising campaign, McCrea says.
The deputy director of the renewal project, Xavier Rankin, says the construction of a new water gallery is already underway. The gallery will feature the first blue whale skeleton ever to be displayed in Canada. Rankin also says the construction of a new boutique and café, and the installation of new exhibits will start in November.
Smythe says the museum will be closing for another month between April 26 and May 21 to ensure the “final tune-up” of the building is complete before it’s officially unveiled to the public again on May 22. At this point, the central and east wings of the building, which have been closed since 2006, will be accessible to the public again.
“I think people at this point are just getting excited about the fact that finally we’re reopening the building in May 2010.”
Between the facelift of the museum and the construction of the Beaver Barracks, a new affordable housing project on the block by Argyle and Metcalfe streets, the area seems like a perpetual construction zone to some Centretown residents.
Construction began in March and will continue until late 2011, says Sarah Button, a spokesperson for Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, which owns the property.
Bill Brown, a Centretown resident, says he’s lived with construction upheaval for seven years now and has at least two more to go. Though on some days he says he’s wary of it, he admits the museum will be “fantastic.”
McCrea says that ultimately, this renovation will benefit the public for generations to come.
“It’s a legacy project,” she says, “And the work is vital to ensure we continue to operate the building for what it has always been – the home of our national museum.”