Protesters gathered outside Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences Tuesday morning, one week after plans to shutter the 198-year-old institution were first announced.
The Benjamin Franklin Parkway museum, home to mounted dinosaur skeletons and dioramas that have thrilled generations of Philadelphians, is set to close its doors at the end of this month, the academy and Drexel University announced on Sept. 1. The institute has been affiliated with the college since 2011.
"For the brief space of a childhood, a great museum can be everything. It can turn a rainy Saturday into a lifelong passion," said Amanda Rabinowitz, one of the speakers during Tuesday's rally. "It can spark curiosity, a sense of belonging, and a commitment to understanding the world. And once those opportunities are lost, they are incredibly difficult to rebuild."
Rising costs associated with operating the museum are threatening the academy’s ability to serve as a hub for researchers and safeguard its extensive collections, Drexel President Antonio Merlo and Suzanna Biemiller, chair of ANS’s Board of Trustees, said in a message posted on the academy’s website.
Merlo and Biemiller stated that their focus for the near future would be “the stewardship of the Academy’s collections and their use to advance scientific knowledge.” ANS has 19 million biological specimens and an archive of more than 75,000 scientific books, representatives said.
ANS was formed in the early 19th century and opened the first natural history museum in the Americas 198 years ago.
Tuesday's protest was organized by Philly Science Action, Green Philly and Skype a Scientist.
MORE: UArts archives find a new home at HSP
