Preserving the Academy of Natural Sciences

Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the oldest natural history museum in the country. It was founded in 1812 and welcomed the public to its collections in 1828. It was the first in the world to display a mounted dinosaur to the public, Hadrosaurus foulkii in 1868.  

But now that legacy is set to end. Drexel University and the museum announced last week that the nearly 200-year-old museum will close its doors at the end of the month, citing declining visitors, rising operating expenses, and budget shortfalls.

The news has been met with a passionate public outcry. On Tuesday, hundreds rallied outside the museum voicing their opposition to the planned closure and Academy fans have flooded social media with their recollections of visits to Dinosaur Hall, the hands-on paleontology Big Dig, the animal dioramas or Outside In discovery center. 

For now, the Academy and Drexel leadership say they plan to relocate the renowned collections of 19 million biological specimens and fossils, promising they’ll be displayed somewhere else.

But is there a path to keeping the museum open? And if not, what will the closure mean for the public, scientists, and city?  

Guests: 

• Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer reporter covering the business of the arts
• Trish Wellenbach, deputy mayor and senior advisor to the Academy of Natural Sciences
• Allison Tumarkin-Deratzian, Temple University professor and paleontologist
• Isa Betancourt, an entomologist who previously worked at the academy