Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences Closes After Nearly Two Centuries

Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences has closed to the public after nearly 200 years, ending regular access to its dinosaur exhibits, live animals, and historic collections. Founded in 1812 and opened in 1828, the institution was the first museum to display a mounted dinosaur skeleton. Financial pressures, rising operating costs, and declining post-pandemic attendance led Drexel University, which has managed the academy since 2011, to shut the museum while preserving its scientific research and millions of specimens for researchers.