Museum of nature; walk through the history of Canadian wildlife from the dinosau

Museum of nature; Canadian wildlife from the dinosaur age to the present.

Museum of nature, also known as the Canadian Museum of Nature asks the visitor to “Discover Nature”, and then ably follows through on that mission.

This delightful castle-like building houses displays featuring Canadian flora from the dinosaur age up to the present.

And see what greets you as you circumnavigate the Canadian Museum of Nature, looking for a parking space which are in short supply as the construction continues….

’Mastodons’

I remember – while growing up in Ottawa – visiting this museum on a school trip. Images that rush to my mind include a broad marble staircase with intricately carved wood railings. Suspended far overhead were feasts for my eyes, as prehistoric animals seemed to float through the air.

Then came the rumours that this museum was sinking! Quicksand (or some such) was allowing one side of the museum to descend into the earth, and there were concerns, wildly exaggerated by my also-young peers, that the entire building was in danger of collapsing.

My recollection (all this was happening back in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s I believe) is that the building actually was closed for a time, and that the exhibits had been moved to a safer location.

Part of the east wing late in 2005, and also the front entrance before renovation was undertaken on that part of the structure.

And now, almost half a decade later, this “castle” in downtown Ottawa, originally built in 1912, is undergoing an extensive renovation.

In a process to upgrade mechanical and electrical systems, to improve infrastructure, facilitate access and visitor flow through the many exhibits and to provide better visitor amenities, the makeover began in 2004 and won’t be completed until 2009, in this almost-century-old building.

A better view of the front entrance. The rich oak doors and elaborate stone work are a testament to the skills of the trades people early in the 1900’s.

The current entrance while the original is being renovated, pictured late in 2006.

On display on the main floor (Floor 0) are models of how the Canadian Museum of Nature will look when renovations are complete. The red circle identifies the front entrance and how it will dramatically change during construction.

But enough about the outsides of the building. Let’s go inside, shall we?

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