September 16, 2009

Great Mammal Hall at Harvard Museum of Natural History reopens

The Great Mammal Hall in the Harvard Museum of Natural History is restored and reopened.

From The November-December 2009 Issue

Photograph by Jim Harrison

The Great Mammal Hall, a two-story gallery 60 feet long by 40 wide, is the oldest and most dramatic in the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH). The hall was emptied of its taxonomic treasures as part of a renovation commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Museum of Comparative Zoology: the animals were removed and repaired and the display cases restored to their nineteenth-century colors, replacing a palette dating to the 1960s. The gallery reopened October 16. Above, a gaur noses into the stream of escapees during the renovation.

Published in the November-December 2009 print issue under the headline “A Gallery Glows Again,” in the John Harvard's Journal section.

Related topics

University News

You might also like

Mitt Romney in a suit, with a decorative background and natural lighting.

At Harvard, Mitt Romney Warns Against ‘Authoritarian’ Presidential Power

The former senator touched on polarization, tech governance, and diplomacy during a conversation at the Institute of Politics.

Wrought iron gates with ornate design, framed by brick pillars against a clear blue sky.

Harvard Answers Government Admissions Lawsuit

In a separate case, the Trump administration outlines its argument for the federal funding freeze.

White House and Harvard University buildings split diagonally with contrasting colors.

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

Most popular

Illustration by Robert Neubecker

How physical appearance influences authority

Cherubic features benefit black male CEOs, but not other groups, underscoring the complexity of social disadvantage.

A smiling judge wearing a black robe, seated in a wood-paneled courtroom.

At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket

The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”

Map showing urban layout with roads, green spaces, and waterways.

Boston Board Approves Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus Framework

City planners adopt principles to guide future development of the commercial innovation district in Allston.

Explore More From Current Issue

Portrait of a man with white hair, wearing a black coat, arms crossed, thoughtful expression.

Harvard Celebrates America’s 250th

The Framer Who Refused to Sign the Constitution

Harvard’s Elbridge Gerry helped draft the U.S. Constitution, but worried it might create a new monarch.

Bronze statues of three historical figures under a stylized tree in a softly lit space.

Harvard Celebrates America’s 250th

The Costly Choice Native Americans Faced

How the Revolution reshaped indigenous New England

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.