San Diego Natural History Museum
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The San Diego Natural History Museum was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. On January 14, 1933, the present location of the museum in San Diego's Balboa Park was dedicated.
SDNHM is the second oldest scientific institution west of the Mississippi and the oldest in Southern California. The newest addition to the museum was dedicated in April 2001, doubling exhibit space.
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[edit] The Beginning
Founded in 1874, the San Diego Society of Natural History is the oldest scientific institution in southern California, and the second oldest west of the Mississippi. In its initial years, the Society was the region's primary source of scientific culture, serving a small but growing community eager for information about its natural resources. Early society members established a weather station, petitioned to create Torrey Pines State Reserve, and garnered support for the new San Diego Zoological Society.
[edit] The Early Years
In June 1912, the Society met for the first time in its new quarters in the Hotel Cecil, recently built on Sixth Street in San Diego. Later that same month exhibits created by Frank and Kate Stephens were installed in a single room and adjoining alcove, and were open to the public several afternoons each week. The Society had opened its first museum.
In 1917, the Society purchased a vacant Balboa Park building from the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Here the Society moved its growing collections and library to create the San Diego Natural History Museum. The Board defined its commitment "to educate and help people know and love nature" and began a variety of educational programs, many of them using specimens from museum collections in city and county schools.
The Museum occupied three different buildings in Balboa Park before celebrating its 50th anniversary. Community leaders recognized the need for a permanent museum of adequate size. San Diego's leading architect, William Templeton Johnson (1877-1957) was commissioned by the Society of Natural History to design its new museum building on Balboa Park's East Prado. Johnson had earned his reputation with his design of the Fine Arts Gallery (now the Museum of Art) and the downtown San Diego Trust & Savings Bank, among other buildings.
[edit] World War II
The Society was notified on March 5, 1943, that the U. S. Navy wished to take over the Natural History Museum for hospital use at once.
The Natural History Museum became the infectious diseases ward. Some renovation took place in the facility, including the addition of an elevator designed to handle hospital gurneys and a nurses' station between floors. Both features remain in use today.
The main library and its librarian were moved to San Diego State College; the rest of the treasured and fragile exhibits were hastily packed, crated and moved into a total of 32 separate places. Exhibits too large to be moved were stuffed into the north wing on the main floor. A major renovation commenced once staff was allowed to reoccupy the building. Forced to look at all collections and exhibits in this rehabilitation process, the board adopted a firm policy to restrict collections to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Museum continued its steady growth with post-war San Diego, despite periods of financial stress. Staff upheld professional practices regardless of limited resources, and the American Association of Museums accredited the Museum in 1974.
[edit] The Present Building
The construction of the new headquarters was made possible through a grant of $125,000 from Ellen Browning Scripps, and by public subscription. However, the full amount needed for the building could not be raised in the Depression years. Only the first unit of the building, at the south end of the lot, and one wing extending toward the north, could be built. The north and east exterior facades were left plain as temporary walls slated for future expansion, and remained so for sixty years.
The new $175,000 Natural History Museum building was formally dedicated on January 14, 1933.
[edit] Additions to the Museum
Completed and dedicated in March, 2001, the new construction more than doubled the size of the old building, from 65,000 square feet of usable space to approximately 150,000 square feet.
The expansion provided much-needed new space for the Museum's research, educational, and administrative activities, as well as the following new features:
[edit] North-facing Entrance
The museum now has two major entrances -- the Prado entrance on the south, and a north-facing entrance by the large fig tree, opening into a large atrium. The facade of the north entrance floats in a wall of glass, designed to harmonize with the ornate historic south facade, and yet represent contemporary design.
[edit] Grand Atrium
This signature architectural feature will provide one of the great public spaces in San Diego for major events. Designed as a statement of arrival to the new museum, the Grand Atrium is the departure point for permanent and traveling exhibits, theater presentations, education programs, scientific research, and the retail store. This spectacular space features four balconies surrounding a large gathering space covered by a glass ceiling.
[edit] Multipurpose Theater
Off of the atrium is a 300-seat theater/auditorium designed for high-quality multimedia presentation and large-screen format films. This room is ideal for business and scientific conferences, public speakers, and concerts. The theater presents a large format film about southern California and Baja California as a regular part of the museum visitor's experience.
[edit] Traveling Exhibition Hall
An 8500-square-foot hall below the atrium provides a grand space for traveling exhibits more than 50 percent larger than the old space. This enables us to schedule major national exhibitions that until now were unavailable because of their size. The hall is also used for large events such as the annual members' meeting, a dinner dance, a festival or other special event.
[edit] Permanent Exhibit Floor
Permanent exhibits will tell the story of the region served by the Museum -- the Baja California peninsula and southern California. Exhibits will be designed to provide a window on the natural history of the region with state-of-the-art dioramas, interactive exhibits with computer and multimedia presentations, live animals, and more. One by one, the new halls will be filled with new exhibitions.
[edit] Library Reading Room
Entrance to the research library and collections of the Museum will become more accessible to scientists and members of the public through a classically-styled reading room reminiscent of the great libraries of the world. Access to collections and archives through computer interface is one feature of this well-appointed room.
[edit] Past, Present, and Future Major Exhibitions
[edit] Past Exhibitions
Dinosaurs: Reel & Robotic GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works Backyard Monsters Chocolate: The Exhibition Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight T. REX on Trial
[edit] Current Exhibitions
Fossil Mysteries Playing with Time VISIONS of the NATURAL WORLD through the LENS of the MASTERS Earth, Wind & WILDFIRE Olympus™ BioScapes
[edit] Future Exhibitions
Dead Sea Scrolls June 29–December 31, 2007 The Israel Antiquities Authority is partnering with the Museum to bring one of the world's greatest archaeological discoveries—a select number of authentic Dead Sea Scrolls—for exhibition in San Diego.
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