The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, which calls itself the oldest natural history research institution in the Americas, closed its public museum on Sept. 30 after nearly two centuries in Philadelphia. Its research collections of more than 19 million specimens remain in the building for now, but where they will end up is still undecided, according to WHYY and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Drexel announced the closure on Sept. 1, citing lasting changes in visitor patterns and rising operating costs. The last public day was Sunday, Sept. 27, and the decision drew protests, a foundation funding offer and calls from city leaders to slow down.

The stakes reach far beyond Philadelphia. Natural history collections are a scientific record of life on Earth, used to track species declines, water pollution and climate effects over time. How Drexel and the Academy handle them will be watched by researchers nationwide.

Developing Story Note: This report covers new developments involving the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences museum and the future of its collections. Information may change as forecasters, emergency officials, researchers, courts, or agencies release additional findings. Latest verified update: reporting through Oct. 3, 2026, including NPR; Philadelphia City Council's first hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7.

A Scientific Record Built Since 1812

The Academy was founded in 1812 and opened to the public in 1828. Its collections hold more than 19 million specimens, including about 10 million mollusks, 1.6 million fish, more than 215,000 bird specimens, and 1.4 million plant and fungi specimens. NPR reported the collections include 73,000 holotypes, the reference specimens scientists use to define species.

Some holdings are historic. They include more than 220 plant specimens from the Lewis and Clark expedition and fossils collected by Thomas Jefferson. In 1868, the Academy became the first institution in the world to display a mounted dinosaur skeleton, Hadrosaurus foulkii, dug up in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

The Academy also holds one of the world's largest diatom collections. These microscopic algae are a key tool for reconstructing past water quality, and the Academy's Patrick Center for Environmental Research has used them for decades to study rivers and streams.

Specimens That Need a Stable Home

Collections like these are not just museum displays. Researchers return to old specimens to measure how species have changed, to test them for pollutants or disease, and to describe new species. Losing access, or splitting collections apart, can break that scientific record.

The Natural Science Collections Alliance, a national group representing research collections, said in a statement reported by the Inquirer that "any administrative or structural changes at the Academy must prioritize the integrity of these collections."

Drexel says research, collection care, and the Patrick Center will continue for now. In its closure message, the university said it would look for "new and financially sustainable opportunities for the public display of elements from its collections." Drexel has said it will preserve access to the collections for students and researchers, according to NPR.

But leadership plans to sell the Parkway building and move the collections to a location not yet chosen, the Inquirer reported. No commitment to keep them in Philadelphia has been announced.

Isa Betancourt, a former entomology staff member who now helps lead the volunteer group Save the Academy, voiced a wider worry to NPR. "If this museum can slip away like that, what's stopping other museums from going the same way?" she said.

Money, Attendance and a Disputed Path Forward

Drexel, which affiliated with the Academy in 2011, projected a $20 million deficit for fiscal year 2026 and provided the Academy about $8.3 million in operating support in fiscal 2025, the Inquirer reported. Museum hours had already been cut from five days a week to three in October 2025.

In a joint statement, Drexel President Antonio Merlo and Academy Board Chair Suzanne Biemiller said "patterns of visitation and audience behavior changed in lasting ways, while the costs of operating the museum continued to rise."About 27 of the Academy's 80 employees will be affected, according to the Inquirer.

Supporters dispute that the closure was inevitable. The William Penn Foundation offered to cover Drexel's operating subsidy to keep the museum open for at least another year. "We have offered to cover the cost of the operating subsidy Drexel has been providing," Executive Director Shawn McCaney told the Inquirer. Drexel said no proposal had offered "a permanent, sustainable path forward."

Protests followed. Hundreds of people rallied during the final weekend, including a candlelight vigil and march to City Hall on Sept. 27, and protesters later gathered at the National Constitution Center, PhillyVoice reported. Save the Academy is urging Drexel's board to formally disaffiliate from the Academy.

City Hall Hearing and the Road Ahead

Philadelphia City Council will hold its first hearing on the closure at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Room 400 of City Hall, before the Committee on Legislative Oversight. Councilmember Nina Ahmad told NPR, "We need to know how this came to be. What were the levers that created this decision?"

Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker have appointed David L. Cohen, a former Comcast executive and U.S. ambassador to Canada, to facilitate talks. "We want to preserve the Academy, but we also don't want to jeopardize Drexel," Cohen told the Inquirer.

Several questions remain open — where the collections will go, who will pay to care for them and whether any version of the museum reopens. Drexel says its talks with the Academy are continuing in good faith, and the funding offer has been neither accepted nor rejected.

For Philadelphia families, the immediate change is the loss of a museum visited by generations of schoolchildren. For scientists across the country, the bigger concern is a record of biodiversity that took more than 200 years to build — and that cannot be replaced if it is broken up.

What Readers Want to Know

Is the Academy of Natural Sciences closed? Yes. Its public museum closed on Sept. 30, 2026, with the last public day on Sept. 27. Research and collection care continue for now.

What is in the collections? More than 19 million specimens, including mollusks, fish, birds, plants, Lewis and Clark specimens, Thomas Jefferson's fossils, and one of the world's largest diatom collections.

What will happen to the specimens? They remain in the building for now. Leadership plans to sell the building and move the collections, but no new location has been chosen.

Why did Drexel close the museum? Drexel and the Academy's board chair cited lasting changes in visitor patterns and rising operating costs.

Is there a plan to reopen it? The William Penn Foundation offered to cover operating costs for at least a year, but Drexel has not accepted. State and city leaders appointed a facilitator to negotiate.

What happens next? Philadelphia City Council holds its first hearing at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7, at City Hall.