Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences to Close Museum and Relocate Collections

Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences (affiliated with Drexel University) will close its Parkway museum by Sept. 30, with public hours ending Sept. 27, due to waning attendance and rising operating costs. The plan is to relocate the academy’s ~19 million specimens and sell the building while preserving research and collections elsewhere. Academy president Scott Cooper is stepping down, and governance/leadership arrangements are being negotiated with Drexel and city officials; about 27 of 80 staff may be affected. The future form of public-facing museum presence in Philadelphia is undecided, though officials emphasize preserving the scientific mission and access to the collections in some new configuration.