Just short of its 200th birthday, a landmark natural history museum shuts down

The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum's dinosaur skeleton exhibits have been popular with generations of children, since they first were exhibited in 1868. Andrew Stelzer for NPR hide caption

PHILADELPHIA — Every weekend for the past month, the sidewalk in front of the Natural Academy of Sciences has simultaneously felt like a festival, a funeral, and a science fair.

On the Museum's final Friday, there was a line of attendees waiting to get in; Activists circulating petitions and flyers to "Save the Academy"; and a museum educator showed off a giant salamander skull and a rare coat of pangolin scales.

For Philly area kids, visiting this place has been a rite of passage for generations. So when word dropped on September 1st that the nearly 200-year-old museum was closing at the end of the month, thousands of families began a wistful pilgrimage, to make one final visit.

"This is a very special place, for my family and also me growing up," said Alexandria McCormick, who was visiting with her husband and six kids. She said when she was a child, her family used to come multiple times a year, awakening her love of natural history.

"It makes me really sad to think that my children might not also grow up having these experiences and being inspired to love nature this way." she said.

Founded in 1812, and opened to the public in 1828, the Academy of Natural Sciences was the first place in the world to display a dinosaur skeleton, back in 1868. There's also mammal dioramas, live animals, and other rotating exhibits.

Its collection of scientific specimens is widely recognized as one of the most important in the world. And its sudden demise comes amidst a continuing decline in funding for cultural and scientific institutions.