American Museum of Natural History to Renovate Northwest Coast Hall

In late September, the American Museum of Natural History announced a multi-year renovation project to update its Northwest Coast Hall. The project is the first in a series of construction and programming enhancements to older parts of the museum leading up to its 150th anniversary in 2020, according to a press release issued by the museum.

The Northwest Coast Hall displays thousands of artifacts from the traditional cultures of the native peoples of North America’s northwest shores, from Washington State to southern Alaska. As part of the restoration project, curators and conservation staff will consult with several Pacific Northwest Coast communities. Delegates from these groups took part in the opening of the hall more than 100 years ago and representatives from the Haida, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Tlingit communities traveled to New York City for the announcement on Sept. 25.

The hall, which opened in 1899, has been beloved by generations of visitors for its extraordinary displays, including 78 totem poles and a 63-foot-long great canoe, according to the press release. The renovation project aims to conserve old favorites of the exhibit such as the totem poles as well as update the exhibit with modern representation of Northwest peoples.

The project will cost approximately $14.5 million to complete. Before the re-opening of the hall, a team of museum conservators will examine, document, and treat more than 1,000 artifacts ranging from totem poles to rattles and ceremonial masks.