Empire State Development grant will help continue the Museum’s physical transformation and the East Side’s ongoing revitalization
BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo Museum of Science announced today it has received $2.6 million in grant funding from the state’s recently-announced East Side Corridor Economic Development Fund for crucial building improvements, specifically the restoration of the Buffalo Museum of Science’s historic north entrance and limestone façade. This monumental grant is part of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s $65 million investment to improve the quality of life for Buffalo’s East Side residents and tied to the Governor’s larger $1.5 billion investment in Western New York. This funding will supplement the $1.16 million the Museum has secured from the City of Buffalo and the Dormitory Authority of New York State to undergo a full restoration of the blighted façade and north entrance, which served as the original Museum entrance in 1929. When completed, the project will provide a destination for passive recreation and pedestrian gathering for Museum guests and the East Side community.
“The Buffalo Museum of Science is celebrating its 90th anniversary as a proud resident of Buffalo’s East Side this year, and we’re thrilled to undertake this necessary improvement timed to this milestone. The work enabled by this timely grant will alleviate blight, heighten the Museumgoer’s experience and increase visitation,” said Marisa Wigglesworth, president and CEO, Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. “I thank Governor Andrew Cuomo for his commitment to Western New York, particularly for his significant investment in the East Side Corridor Economic Development Fund.”
The $2.6 million grant, one of the largest in the Museum’s storied history, will allow for future community programming on the Buffalo Museum of Science formal stairway.
The Buffalo Museum of Science plans to begin on this multi-phase project in 2019.
“We are excited to advance the restoration of the Museum’s original grand staircase on the north side of the building. This improvement is an important demonstration of our commitment to our community, especially to our neighbors on the East Side of Buffalo,” said Wigglesworth.
This project comes on the heels of the completion of another historic restoration at the Buffalo Museum of Science – the reopening of the Kellogg Observatory in July 2018. The opening of the Kellogg Observatory marked the completion of the “See it Through” capital campaign, which raised more than $8 million since 2012. Through the campaign, the Buffalo Museum of Science transformed all of its permanent gallery spaces into interactive, changeable and educational science studios that combine technology with pieces from the Museum’s extensive collection of more than 700,000 specimens and artifacts.
For additional information about the Buffalo Museum of Science, visit www.sciencebuff.org.
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ABOUT THE BUFFALO MUSEUM OF SCIENCE
Rooted in the belief that science creates opportunities and shapes our world, the Buffalo Museum of Science is a non-profit educational institution dedicated to providing relevant science programming to learners of all ages in the Buffalo Niagara region. Through interactive science studios and exhibits designed for multi-generational learning, the Museum showcases its extensive collection of more than 700,000 specimens and artifacts representing all facets of the natural world with an emphasis on Western New York. With a focus on raising the science literacy in the Buffalo Niagara area and beyond, the Museum offers hands-on workshops, camps, panel discussions, guided tours and enhance learning opportunities for its guests and community. Opened in 1929 in Buffalo’s Olmsted-designed Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, the Museum recently installed its eighth interactive science studio marking the completion of the Museum’s 9-year-long transformation of its guest experience. The Buffalo Museum of Science is governed by the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences alongside Tifft Nature Preserve in South Buffalo, a 264-acre urban wetland preserve on reclaimed former industrial land. Learn more at www.sciencebuff.org.
