The New York Times has a piece about the plight of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The institution first opened its door in 1828… nearly 200 years ago. It is the oldest natural history museum in the US. Due to financial difficulties since the Covid-19 pandemic, it is being forced to close at the end of September.

At the end of September, the facility known for its Dinosaur Hall and its extensive collection of fossils and other specimens will permanently close, a casualty of struggling attendance and rising costs, the academy and the university said in a joint message on Tuesday.

The message was signed by Antonio Merlo, Drexel’s president, and Suzanne Biemiller, chairwoman of the academy’s board, who wrote that the museum had achieved mixed results in trying to rebuild attendance after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Over time, it became clear that these were not temporary pressures, but fundamental changes in the economics of the academy’s operational model, costs that have imperiled the academy’s ability to discharge its overall mission and preserve its legacy,” they wrote.

The message noted that the academy, which was started in 1812 by seven naturalists, would continue to operate and “to identify new and financially sustainable opportunities for the public display of elements from its collections and engagement with the natural sciences.” On its website, the museum described itself as the “oldest natural history museum in the Americas.”