FreshWater contributor Jill Sell recently had the opportunity to visit the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s new Visitor Hall. A lifelong fan of CMNH, Sell shares her observations and conversations with CMNH staff.

As a kid, I had a collection of live snails. I also recorded the movement of freshwater clams (they didn’t move very fast) that lived in Bedford’s Tinkers Creek. And I considered beautiful, native tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) in the woods to be my siblings.

As a child, and later as an adult, visits to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) helped me understand my environmental interests.

The museum always proved to be a sanctuary to me.

So, it’s understandable that I was a bit apprehensive about CMNH’s $150 million, 10-year expansion and renovation transformation. The changes will affect how Clevelanders and tourists experience the museum and how they see the natural world.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, CMNH opened its doors to its 14,600-square-foot Visitor Hall—a major component in the transformation. DLR Group headed the design of the hall and Panzica Construction oversaw construction.

When they were growing up, my dinosaur-loving sons—and later my grandsons—were always mesmerized by Happy the dinosaur when they visited the museum. But now where was the huge dinosaur skeleton now in the Visitor Hall?

And what about the heroic Balto (who was often referred to as “that stuffed dog”)? 

Okay, maybe sections of the museum seemed a little bit gloomy and dark to me, and some displays were hard to see on busy, crowded days. But could the new Visitor Hall be such a vast improvement over what was?

The short answer is “Yes.”

The Visitor Hall is free to everyone, every day. With its exterior wall of glass, 21-foot-high ceilings, and a timeline that reflects the history of the universe, subtly snaking its way along the floor, the Visitor Hall would be an extraordinary space even if it’s empty.

A timeline marks significant events in the history of our planet with metal medallions that sit flush to the floor.

Dr. Gavin Svenson, Chief Science Officer showing the timeline of the Universe on the Visitor Hall floorOne of those markers notes that vertebrates began laying eggs on land 318 million years ago. Farther along the timeline, another marker notes the chicken appeared 8,000 years ago. And that, observes Gavin Svenson, CMNH’s chief science officer, can help some people decide what came first: the chicken or the egg?

“The timeline is one of my favorite things in the Visitor Hall,” says Svenson. “Each inch along the way represents one million years. And the significant events we know about in the universe aren’t even ‘close together’ until we get to more ‘recent’ times.”

Svenson says the timeline answers some questions, but also prompts others: How was the earth formed? Why is life so diverse?

The timeline covers a lot of ground, and it is deep time which we can’t really imagine,” says Svenson. “We can visualize 200, 500 years ago, but what about millions or billions of years ago? It becomes inconceivable. Think of it—the sun was formed 4.6 billion years ago.”

The Visitor Hall’s vast open space spotlights eight iconic specimens that have helped the museum earn its international reputation, create a vital local connection, or are really just visitor favorites.

“About 80% of our collection is Ohio-based,” says Sonia Winner, CMNH’s president and CEO. “It was very important to us that the objects in the Visitor Hall tell the story of Ohio, and most importantly, Cleveland. And the Hall is really a teaser for the rest of the museum.”

With five million artifacts and specimens in the museum’s collection, it’s hard to imagine narrowing that number to just eight specimens to show off in the Visitor Hall.

Museum employees don’t admit to any arm wrestling among the staff and other experts about convincing others about the choices, but it had to be tough.

I missed the familiar Foucault pendulum, which was one of the first things visitors used to see when entering the museum. It is no longer located in the new Visitor Hall, but I was assured that it would soon be placed in a new location—continuing to demonstrate the earth’s rotation.

I also thought something (perhaps a rare, preserved native plant?) from the Natural Areas and Preserves should be represented. But I realize that the 12,000 acres that the museum owns and protests across northern Ohio (take a bow, legendary CMNH botanist James Bissell) will be highlighted in another upcoming phase of the transformation.

The museum chose the eight specimens because they each tell some of the most complete and unique stories, according to Winner, and they each have a connection to Cleveland.

Here’s a look at the eight that made the final cut.

Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, affectionately known as Happy

Most people are familiar with the sauropod Happy (Haplocanthosaurus delfsi)—the dinosaur who was the inspiration for the well-known CMNH logo created by the industrial design firm Nottingham Spirk in 1972.

I’ve been in the museum when parents literally have to drag kids away from the big guy (or gal) because Happy is, hands-down, their favorite thing in the museum. Who cares about rocks or stars when you are the kind of kid who insists on eating pasta shaped like a Tyrannosaurus rex?

A CMNH team discovered Happy in 1954 in Red Canyon, Colorado.

“Many museums have casts of dinosaurs where no single bone is real,” says Winner.  But 60% of Happy’s bones are authentic—an extraordinary amount for finds of its kind.

Happy is classified as a holotype specimen, a single type species that is given credit for its description and name. 

Happy was completely disassembled, reassembled and remounted for its debut in the Visitor Hall. Newer research showed changes in the way a Happy would really look. So, its old skull was replaced with another more anatomically correct one, and its tail position was changed.

“We still haven’t found a Haplocanthosaur skull,” explains Caitlin Colleary, associate curator of vertebrate paleontology. “They are very rare dinosaurs and only four have been found that I know of. But we have found Haplocanthosaur teeth, so we based the teeth in the skull on those.” 

Additionally, Winner says older chemicals used to preserve fossils and bones were not always safe. To ensure Happy could be physically closer to little kids, so they can walk under the tail, new safety protocols and advanced materials were used.        

“Happy is really cool,” says Svenson. “He’s the story of adventure and an early museum discovery.”          

The world-famous Lucy displayLucy

What you see in her new protective display case is, of course, not a taxidermy specimen of Lucy (Austratopithecus afarensis). She was the oldest known hominin (3.2 million years old) when her partial fossil skeleton was found in 1974 in Ethiopia by former CMNH curator Donald Johanson. The discovery created global excitement and told us more about how walking upright developed.

CMNH has casts of Lucy’s fossilized skeleton, and these are the first casts taken from her original fossils. The originals are securely kept in Ethiopia.

The artistic reconstruction of the 3.5-foot-tall Lucy shown in the Visitor Hall display case makes Lucy come alive.

We all can’t necessarily envision what a once-living thing would look like when we just see bones or fossils. But CMNH visitors can get up close and personal at Lucy. Kids visiting the museum often relate to her small size—and we’ll take anything that gets youngsters more curious about science.

Lucy is no longer the oldest known hominin found. But both Emma Finestone, assistant curator of human origins and Elizabeth “Ebeth” Sawchuk, assistant curator of human evolution, say “Lucy is still one of the most complete fossil hominins ever found and remains key to understanding a critical period in human evolution.” 

Dr. Caitlin Colleary, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Palentology next to Dunk‘Dunk’

I’d like to have a dime for every time I have heard a parent or grandparent say to a young child at CMNH, “Wouldn’t you like to catch that thing in Lake Erie?”

That “thing,” is Dunk (Dunkleosteus terrelli), a scary-looking fossil fish that lived 359 million years ago. Dunk could probably take on the Great White Shark in “Jaws” with no problem.

Actually, Dunk didn’t rule Lake Erie—this fish from the Devonian Period swam in the inland waters that covered Ohio at the time.

Three models of Dunk heads hang suspended in the Visitor Hall, and “swim” across the building’s window wall and across time. The bony plated heads are attached to blue neon outlines of bodies (the color can be changed) and look fascinating from inside and outside the museum.

The museum owns four skulls that are authentic fossil material. But finding remains of the fish’s cartilaginous body (like a shark’s) is much trickier. However, vertebrate paleontology curator Colleary says she believes “it might be possible if…we keep looking.”

Svenson says the exhibit “highlights why this region is the best in the world for this fish—and if anyone wants to study this fish they really need to come here.”

Dr Nicole Gunter, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology next to the Butterfly displayButterflies and Moths

It’s understandable why this exhibit’s two glass panels do not contain the preserved remains of actual butterflies and moths. They are far too fragile, and the specimens would suffer in the Hall’s extensive natural and artificial daylight.

But the replicas make the panels look like beautiful stained-glass windows and help represent the biodiversity of our region, according to Svenson, whose favorite specimen in this collection is the interesting lo moth (Automeris lo). 

CMNH has about 63,000 Lepidoptera (moths, butterflies, and skippers) in its collection. More than 3,000 species of moths and butterflies can be found in Ohio, with moths making up the vast majority of specimens found here.

But it is not a totally cheery story. Butterflies have been declining by 2% a year, resulting in a cumulative 33% reduction in butterfly abundance, says Svenson and Nicole Gunter, curator of invertebrate zoology.

CMNH wants to educate the public about butterflies and ways to help them thrive. Future new galleries will address ideas to help all biodiversity. In the meantime, visitors can watch “Flight of the Butterflies,” a new 3D documentary that features the incredible migration of monarch butterflies.

Jeptha Homer Wade II Collection of Gems & JewelsGems and Jewels

“The more objects we have from the mineral kingdom the better,” says Winner, confessing her attraction to the gold, silver, emeralds, opals, zircon, beryl (red, green, and golden), tourmaline, morganite, jade, and other specimens representing the museum’s treasure hoard.

“I love the jewels and we have one of the top 10 collections in the country. They also tell amazing stories about Cleveland.” 

The majority of the collection (in raw, cut or polished form and also presented as jewelry) was once owned by collector Jeptha Wade II, of one of Cleveland’s most prominent industrialist and philanthropic families. A highlight is the custom-made Tiffany & Co. necklace of diamonds and pink tourmaline that was created for Wade’s wife, Ellen Garretson Wade. The jewelry was donated to CMNH in 1970 by Helen Greene, a member of the Wade family. In 2016 it was valued at $500,000.

Pay particular attention to the freshwater pearls in the exhibit. The Mississippi River pearls in the display are of varying colors shapes and sizes, which may seem like negatives to lovers of perfect cultured pearls. But Svenson calls them some of the most valuable objects in this collection—the mollusks that produced these pearls are now extinct. 

The Museum's iconic Moon Rock on loan from NASAMoon Rock                   

On long-term loan from NASA, the moon rock displayed in the Visitor Hall was collected in 1969 by Apollo 12 astronauts.

The rock is basalt (think cooled lava), which is common on Earth. Some people aren’t impressed with its appearance—it isn’t luminous like the moon on a clear night, and it’s not made of green cheese.

“But think of the astounding amount of technology and human effort it took to get this back to earth—it’s amazing,” says Svenson, who also points out that some early attempts to preserve pieces of the moon included encasing rocks in resin.

That practice was found to harm the specimens. CMNH’s moon rock is displayed in an environment of pure nitrogen instead, which keeps it from reacting with the earth’s atmosphere, according to Nick Anderson, senior astronomer and manager of astronomy.   

Bald Eagle model representing the role the Museum played in the protection of native Ohio speciesBald eagle                  

Ohio now has about 900 bald eagle nests. That’s a huge difference from 1979 when only four breeding pairs were known in the state. Ensuring a healthy population was a goal of a number of organizations and individuals, including CMNH.

The museum partnered early in captive breeding programs and, beginning in 1984, hatched eagle chicks that were released and adopted by eagles in the wild.

“It’s a great ecological restoration,” says Svenson, admiring the museum’s eagle program, which became a national model for other similar efforts.

The bald eagle model in the Visitor Hall is not so high above most people’s heads that proximity allows viewers to appreciate the bird’s strength and beauty.

Two live eagles live in the museum’s outdoor Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Wood Garden.  Askate was hatched in 2005 and came to the museum in 2017. She has a right-wing injury that prohibits her from flying, according to Jim Nemet, Perkins director of wildlife. George was hatched around 2000 and came to the museum two years later with a gunshot wound to the head.  

Display of Balto the sled dogBalto

When I was a little girl who visited CMNH with my father on many Sundays, there were some years when Balto was displayed in a dark corner, high above my head with several other taxidermy specimens.

My father told me the story of the heroic dog, who along with 20 dogsled relay teams, made the 674-mile journey from Nenana to Nome to deliver diphtheria antitoxin, saving the lives of children. Balto lead the last 53-mile trek and became a world sensation.

Winner says Balto’s story is one of her favorites among the many tales in the Visitor Hall, but not just because of Balto’s bravery and stamina. Maybe it’s because she says she loves dogs.

In the 1920s Balto and some of his teammates were brought to Cleveland to live at Cleveland’s Brookside Zoo after being rescued from living as sideshow animals in California.

“A Cleveland businessman man and the contributions of Clevelanders who donated their dimes, nickels and pennies brought the dogs here,” says Winner. “It’s unique to this area that people here are so generous. Balto is the story of this community’s generosity.”

Balto’s mount was refurbished, and it now maintains a place of honor in the Visitor Hall.

CMNH recently worked with other institutions to further identify Balto’s ancestry and origins with DNA sequencing and genomics. The research may also someday lead to the development of sought-after traits in sight and hearing assistance dogs, as well as dogs trained for search and rescue missions.

Balto is now at eye-level for many children who already visit the story well thanks to books and movies.

“A hard part of the reimagining of the museum is that many of these exhibits hadn’t been touched in 50 years,” says Winner, who credits CMNH teams and the nationally recognized design firm of Gallagher & Associates for the museum’s new displays.

“We have to make sure that these are less static presentations and that they also align with our programming, She says. “Think of the bald eagle and how the museum helped bring it back after the DDT poisoning and other hazards. A terrible thing happened to the bald eagle, but people were able to stop it, figure out the right plan and bring them back. We want to show people there can be solutions in this world and that they can be a part of them.”