State museum undergoes lengthy closure for a landmark $79.7M renovation

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(The Center Square) - The State Museum of Pennsylvania closed its doors on Sunday to begin its largest renovation to date with $79.73 million in state funding. 

The project, estimated to take upwards of 2.5 years to complete, is unlike anything the museum has done before. While it has undergone surface level renovations over the years, this newest plan will make large changes and target its infrastructure.

“There hasn't been anything like this since the museum opened in 1964,” said Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission spokesperson Jay Losiewicz. “We’re bringing the building back up to where it needs to be for 21 century visitors.”

Aside from increasing visitor amenities and providing a free first floor exhibit, the museum will build new rooms for artifact loans and traveling exhibits. These rooms will include a state-of-the-art HVAC system, enabling delicate artifacts from other museums to be safely displayed in temperature and humidity-controlled rooms for the first time.  

Due to the comprehensive and invasive nature of the renovation, planning for the museum's revitalization has been years in the making. Taking care of employees during the museum's closure also had to be carefully considered. Losiewicz stated that making sure employees were taken care of was ‘a very important part’ in planning the project.

“The renovation for the State Museum is something we've been talking about at PHMC for about 15 years now,” Losiewicz said. “Other than retirements, we are not losing any staff because of this.”

PHMC is the acronym for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Employees that cannot work with internal bureaus while the museum is under construction will be provided positions at PHMC’s other branches. 

While the museum will be officially closed to the public, it will conduct in-person community events throughout the renovation to continue engaging with kids, its central audience. 

Legislators Sen. Patty Kim and Rep. Nate Davidson, both Democrats from Dauphin County and who attended the renovation's kick-off renovation in Harrisburg both agreed that it is the youth this project will primarily benefit. 

“It’s really about my kids,” Davidson said. “Investments like this are so, so important for the next generation so they also learn about where we came from and where we’re going next.” 

For these Dauphin County legislators, making Harrisburg a safer environment for a child's education is also central. Currently, the city's crime rate triples the state average.

“We’re trying to get downtown to become better and safer so we can bring out kids here,” Sen. Kim said. “It is going to impact the young lives of the future.” 

Grant money has not been divided evenly, however, and not all museums and communities can share such a sunny outlook.

Following a $4.5 million deficit last year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is red lining again, with a projected $10 million deficit for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.  

This follows a national trend of growing financial pressure and decreased attendance in American museums, with more than half failing to reach pre-pandemic numbers. 

While Losiewicz hopes these new renovations will draw in more crowds, he believes the Pennsylvania State Museum has always deserved unique attention. 

“Its main role is to really just tell the story of Pennsylvania and there's not really another museum in the state that does that.” Losiewicz said. 

Unlike other museums, which focus on one topic such as art or science, Losiewicz pointed out that the Pennsylvania State museum attempts to inform its visitors on everything from dinosaurs to Pennsylvania's current influential industries. 

“That was what the state museum was designed to do, and that is what it will continue to do.” Losiewicz said.  

Current completion predictions estimate the museum will reopen early 2029.