Santa Cruz’ “Whale Museum” Advances Renovation Project
Editor’s Note: This article is shared courtesy of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.
A Bright Future for the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
If you’ve visited our exhibits, attended an event, or enrolled your kids in our popular summer camps, you know the nonprofit Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is a treasured community institution.
With our Bright Future expansion and renovation project, the Museum will continue serving the community from our Seabright location for decades to come. In April, we signed a 50-year lease with the City of Santa Cruz, which owns our building, and contracted with local builder Bogard Construction and local designer ABA Studios.
Groundbreaking is expected in spring 2027, paving the way for us to enhance the delivery of our mission: connecting people with nature and science to inspire stewardship of the natural world.
About the Project
The project will renovate and strengthen our building, which includes the historic former Carnegie library. It will also expand the Museum’s galleries, redesign the interior and permanent exhibits, add a classroom and community meeting room, and bring long-needed improvements such as an elevator and HVAC system.
In Tyrrell Park, where the Museum is situated, the project will also create more accessible and ADA-compliant pathways.
The capital campaign to fund this project has reached approximately 86% of its $20 million goal, funded entirely by generous Museum donors and members. If you’re interested in learning more or making a donation, contact us at campaign@santacruzmuseum.org or (831) 420-6115 ext. 11. We’d love to hear from you!
More Exciting News
In March, the Museum achieved accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums, validating the excellence of our operations and programs and making us the only nationally accredited museum in Santa Cruz County.
This fall, we will also move to a temporary space on Pacific Avenue, just across the street from Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting. Thank you to our partners at the City for making it possible to secure this prime location.
See you at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History!
