About the Project
Overview
(Updated June 2021)
The new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will invite visitors to experience the Museum not only as a place of public exhibitions but as an active scientific and educational institution.
The Gilder Center will include new exhibition and learning spaces with state-of-the-art technology and access to the Museum’s world-class collections. It will also expand access to a broader range of the Museum’s resources for students, teachers, and families, offering new learning opportunities and inviting all visitors to share in the excitement of discovery.
The Need
Science is at the core of the most pressing issues of the day—human health, climate change, and biodiversity conservation, among others—and there is an urgent need to enhance the public understanding of science and to provide effective educational experiences that support informed, thoughtful engagement with these topics.
There is an equally critical need to address key challenges in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. The Gilder Center will expand the reach and deepen the impact of the Museum’s work in science education, building on a strong foundation of successful programs such as Urban Advantage, the Master of Arts in Teaching Program, and the Science Research Mentoring Program, which already serve teachers, students, and youth throughout New York City, New York State, and beyond.
Over the last several decades, the Museum’s annual attendance has grown from approximately three million to approximately five million. The Gilder Center will enhance the visitor experience by improving circulation and by making physical and programmatic connections among galleries, classrooms, collections, and library resources.
Design
The Gilder Center is designed by Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, with Davis Brody Bond serving as executive architect. Ralph Appelbaum of Ralph Appelbaum Associates is designing the exhibition experiences, and the landscape architecture firm is Reed Hilderbrand.
Approximately 80 percent of the 230,000-gross-square-foot project will be located within the area currently occupied by the Museum. Three existing Museum buildings will be removed to minimize the Gilder Center footprint in Theodore Roosevelt Park to about 11,600 square feet (approximately a quarter acre).
The Gilder Center will be a five-story, approximately 190,000-gross-square-foot addition to the Museum. The project includes approximately 40,000 gross square feet of renovations to existing space and alterations to an approximately 75,000-square-foot adjacent area of Theodore Roosevelt Park.
The Museum is working with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) to minimize the impact on the park. The Museum has studied more than 60 trees on the west side of Theodore Roosevelt Park. The initial design could have resulted in the loss of up to nine trees. In June 2016, the Museum revised the original concept design proposal, to be submitted to NYC Parks, for the area of the park in front of the Gilder Center, the below-grade service area, and the service driveway with the goal of preserving two notable trees, a Pin oak and an English elm. The revised proposal, developed with the Park Working Group formed to advise on the park's design, reduces the number of trees removed from the Park to seven and expands areas for play and respite to maintain the park's essential character and existing uses. Any trees that are removed and not transplanted would be replaced, consistent with NYC Parks rules and regulations.
The Museum anticipates planting 22 new trees post construction as part of the landscape plan in the Park near the Gilder Center. In addition, the Museum proposes to install 15 new benches. These improvements will help to preserve the existing character of the park.
Process and Timeline
December 2014: the Museum’s Board of Trustees authorized the creation of a conceptual design.
November 4, 2015: the Board endorsed a conceptual design and authorized proceeding to schematic design, and the Museum held a public informational meeting.
April 6, 2016: the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, as lead agency, conducted a City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) public scoping meeting at the Museum.
July and September 2016: the Museum held public informational meetings about the project, the latter about the application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).
AMNH_Landmarks Preservation_Commission_Application_09082016
October 5, 2016: Manhattan's Community Board 7 (CB7) approved the architectural design for the Gilder Center and landscape design for the adjacent part of Theodore Roosevelt Park.
October 11, 2016: LPC evaluated the appropriateness of the project's architecture and design, and changes to the adjacent park and unanimously approved the application.
May 18, 2017: NYC Parks issued a draft EIS.
June 15, 2017: NYC Parks held a public hearing on the draft EIS at the American Museum of Natural History. Written comments were accepted through June 26.
November 15, 2017: NYC Parks issued the final EIS. A copy of the final EIS can be obtained online at http://nyc.gov/parks/amnh-gilder.
December 4, 2017: NYC Parks approved the Museum’s plans for the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, following completion of the environmental review process and issuance of its Statement of Findings. The Statement of Findings and the approval letter are available online at http://nyc.gov/parks/amnh-gilder.
April 25, 2018: NYC Parks approved Design Development updates, following receipt of LPC amendment and CEQR technical memorandum.
Project Budget
The projected budget for the Gilder Center project is $431 million. The new building is named for Museum Trustee Richard Gilder in recognition of his lifetime giving to the Museum, which includes a new lead gift for the building.
Project Information
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