Florida Museum of Natural History prepares to renovate facilities and expand the gift shop

The museum plans to temporarily close in 2025 to accommodate the $20 million renovation project.

The Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida, is planning a large-scale expansion project next year to create new state-of-the-art exhibition and learning spaces, a modernized facade and a larger collector’s gift shop.

To accommodate the $20 million renovation project, the museum’s Powell Hall and public exhibitions will temporarily close for renovations beginning Jan. 6, 2025, with a goal to reopen the renovated facilities 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,” says 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.”

The temporary closure helps to shorten the length of the renovation project, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. The museum says 29 temporary staff members will be directly affected by the closure. Salaried staff will remain unaffected by the closure with some temporary modifications to their roles.

During the temporary closure, the Florida Museum of Natural History says it hopes to broaden its partnership and education offerings across north central Florida, including outreach, pop-up exhibits and events.

“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,” says Jaret Daniels, interim director of exhibits and public programs.

Ennead Architects, a New York City-based firm, is designing the museum expansion project and Scorpio Construction is the general contractor.