American Museum of Natural History#Library

{{See also|List of castles in the United States}}

The naturalist Albert S. Bickmore devised the idea for the American Museum of Natural History in 1861.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=22|ps=.}} At the time, he was studying in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Louis Agassiz's Museum of Comparative Zoology.{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|ps=.|p=182}} Observing that many European natural history museums were in populous cities, Bickmore wrote in a biography: "Now New York is our city of greatest wealth and therefore probably the best location for the future museum of natural history for our whole land." For several years, Bickmore lobbied for the establishment of a natural history museum in New York.{{Cite book |last=Rieppel |first=Lukas |title=Assembling the Dinosaur: Fossil Hunters, Tycoons, and the Making of a Spectacle |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2019 |isbn=9780674737587 |location=Cambridge |pages=48–55 |language=en-US}} Upon the end of the American Civil War, Bickmore asked numerous prominent New Yorkers, such as William E. Dodge Jr., to sponsor his museum.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=23|ps=.}}{{harvnb|ps=.|Osborn|1911|p=9}} Although Dodge himself could not fund the museum at the time, he introduced the naturalist to Theodore Roosevelt Sr., the father of future U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt.{{harvnb|ps=.|Osborn|1911|pp=9–10}}

Calls for a natural history museum increased after Barnum's American Museum burned down in 1868. Eighteen prominent New Yorkers wrote a letter to the Central Park Commission that December, requesting the creation of a natural history museum in Central Park.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|pp=23–24|ps=.}}{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|ps=.|p=10}} Central Park commissioner Andrew Haswell Green indicated his support for the project in January 1869. A board of trustees was created for the museum. The next month, Bickmore and Joseph Hodges Choate drafted a charter for the museum, which the board of trustees approved without any changes. It was in this charter that the "American Museum of Natural History" name was first used.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=24|ps=.}} Bickmore said he wanted the museum's name to reflect his "expectation that our museum will ultimately become the leading institution of its kind in our country", similar to the British Museum. Before the museum was established, Bickmore needed to secure approval from Boss Tweed, leader of the powerful and corrupt Tammany Hall political organization. The legislation to establish the American Museum of Natural History had to be signed by John Thompson Hoffman, the governor of New York, who was associated with Tweed.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|pp=24–25|ps=.}}

Hoffman signed the legislation creating the museum on April 6, 1869,{{cite web |title=Timeline: The History of the American Museum of Natural History |url=http://amnh.org/museum/history/ |access-date=February 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211111505/http://amnh.org/museum/history/ |archive-date=February 11, 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=26|ps=.}} with John David Wolfe as its first president.{{harvnb|ps=.|Osborn|1911|p=12}}{{Efn|The founders included Theodore Roosevelt Sr., John David Wolfe, William T. Blodgett, Robert L. Stuart, Andrew H. Green, Robert Colgate, Morris K. Jesup, Benjamin H. Field, D. Jackson Steward, Richard M. Blatchford, J. P. Morgan, Adrian Iselin, Moses H. Grinnell, Benjamin B. Sherman, A. G. Phelps Dodge, William A. Haines, Charles A. Dana, Joseph H. Choate, Henry G. Stebbins, Henry Parish, and Howard Potter.}} Subsequently, the chairman of the AMNH's executive committee asked Green if the museum could use the top two stories of Central Park's Arsenal, and Green approved the request in January 1870. Insect specimens were placed on the lower level of the Arsenal,{{Cite magazine |date=May 6, 1871 |title=Natural History Museum in New York |volume=3 |issue=18 |page=342 |id={{ProQuest|88750696}} |magazine=Hearth and Home}} while stones, fossils, mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles were placed on the upper level.{{cite news |date=23 May 1871 |title=Home News: the Weather Prominent Arrivals Departures New-York City Brooklyn Westchester County Long Island Staten Island New-Jersey Lectures, Meetings, Etc Haps and Mishaps |page=8 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|572448008}}}} The museum opened within the Arsenal on May 22, 1871.{{Cite news |date=1871-05-23 |title=Opening of the Museum of Natural History at Central Park. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1871/05/23/archives/opening-of-the-museum-of-natural-history-at-central-park.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} The AMNH became popular in the following years. The Arsenal location had 856,773 visitors in the first nine months of 1876 alone, more than the British Museum had recorded for all of 1874.

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Meanwhile, the AMNH's directors had identified Manhattan Square (bounded by Eighth Avenue/Central Park West, 81st Street, Ninth Avenue/Columbus Avenue, and 77th Street) as a site for a permanent structure.{{Cite magazine |date=12 Aug 1876 |title=The Illustrations.: the New "Old Circular Church," Charleston, S.c. Mr. C. E. Parker, Architect. The American Museum of Natural History, New York. Messrs. Vaux and Mould, Architects |magazine=The American Architect and Building News |volume=1 |issue=13 |page=261 |id={{ProQuest|124530453}}}} Several prominent New Yorkers had raised $500,000 to fund the construction of the new building. The city's park commissioners then reserved Manhattan Square as the site of the permanent museum, and another $200,000 was raised for the building fund.{{Cite news |date=1877-12-20 |title=Natural History Museum; Costly Building in Central Park. A Structure Which Will Cover Nearly Eighteen and a Half Acres |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/12/20/archives/natural-history-museum-costly-building-in-central-park-a-structure.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} Numerous dignitaries and officials, including U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant, attended the museum's groundbreaking ceremony on June 3, 1874.{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|p=23|ps=.}}{{Cite news |date=1874-06-03 |title=Natural History Museum.; Laying of the Corner-stone by President Grant. Brilliant Scene at Manhattan Square Yesterday |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1874/06/03/archives/natural-history-museum-laying-of-the-cornerstone-by-president-grant.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=3 Jun 1874 |title=Science for the People: the Corner-stone of the Museum of Natural History Laid the Ceremony Performed by President Grant--addresses by President Stuart, Henry G. Stebbins, Gov. Dix, and Prof. Henry Address of Robert L. Stuart Address of Salem H. Wales Address of Gov. Dix Address of Prof. Joseph Henry |page=2 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|572535543}}}}

The museum opened on December 22, 1877, with a ceremony attended by U.S. president Rutherford B. Hayes.{{Cite news |date=1877-12-23 |title=New-York's New Museum. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/12/23/archives/newyorks-new-museum-formal-opening-by-the-president-a-brilliant.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}}{{harvnb|ps=.|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|p=183}} The old exhibits were removed from the Arsenal in 1878, and the AMNH was debt-free by the next year.{{Cite news |date=1892-08-06 |title=Completed |pages=4 |work=The Standard Union |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-completed/132180234/ |access-date=2023-09-21}}

Originally, the AMNH was accessed by a temporary bridge that crossed a ditch, and it was closed during Sundays. The museum's trustees voted in May 1881 to complete the approaches from Central Park,{{Cite news |date=1881-05-10 |title=Museum of Natural History.: Meeting of the Trustees--the Sunday Question Still Open |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1881/05/10/archives/museum-of-natural-history-meeting-of-the-trusteesthe-sunday.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} and work began later that year.{{cite news |date=1 Aug 1881 |title=An Aid to Science: the Museum of Natural History the Grounds Surrounding the Structure--plans for Making the Institute a Centre of Investigation and Original Research--additions to the Collection--a Course of Lectures What the Museum Contains the Museum as a Center of Investigation Means for Popular Instruction a New Department |page=2 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|572968872}}}} The landscape changes were nearly complete by mid-1882,{{Cite news |date=1882-08-11 |title=The Museum of Natural History; Evident Necessity for More Room--beautifying the Surroundings. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/08/11/archives/the-museum-of-natural-history-evident-necessity-for-more.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} and a bridge over Central Park West opened that November.{{cite news |date=29 Nov 1882 |title=Home News: Prominent Arrivals |page=8 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573029686}}}}{{cite news |date=29 Nov 1882 |title=The Museum of Natural History. |page=3 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|93994816}}}} At this point, the AMNH's Manhattan Square building and the Arsenal could not physically fit any more objects, and the existing facilities, such as the 100-seat lecture hall, were insufficient to accommodate demand.{{Cite news |date=1882-09-30 |title=A Lecture Course for Teachers.; the Necessity for More Room in the Museum of Natural History. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1882/09/30/archives/a-lecture-course-for-teachers-the-necessity-for-more-room-in-the.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} The trustees began discussing the possibility of opening the museum on Sundays in May 1885,{{cite news |date=12 May 1885 |title=Museum of Natural History.: the Trustees Discussing the Question of Keeping It Open Sundays. |page=8 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|94295081}}}} and the state legislature approved a bill permitting Sunday operations the next year.{{Cite news |date=1886-04-02 |title=The Sunday Museum Bill: Passed by the Assembly After Full Debate. The Fight Over the Measure to Give Mayor Grace Full Power of Appointing Excise Commissioners |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1886/04/02/archives/the-sunday-museum-bill-passed-by-the-assembly-after-full-debate-the.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=2 Apr 1886 |title=Wanting Museums Open on Sundays: Debate on Assemblyman Hagan's Bill--excise Commissioners Work of Legislative Committees an Opinion by the Attorney-general |page=3 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573216029}}}} Despite advocacy from the working class,{{Cite news |date=1886-01-17 |title=Open Museums on Sunday; the Movement Being Pushed Vigorously by Workingmen. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1886/01/17/archives/open-museums-on-sunday-the-movement-being-pushed-vigorously-by.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} the trustees opposed Sunday operations because it would be expensive to do so.{{Cite news |date=1886-12-29 |title=The Trustees Perplexed; They Would Like to Have That Extra Sum. But They Do Not Like the Condition That the Museums Supported by the City Shall Be Open Sunday. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1886/12/29/archives/the-trustees-perplexed-they-would-like-to-have-that-extra-sum-but.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} At the time, the museum was open to the general public on Wednesdays through Saturdays, and it was open exclusively to members on Mondays and Tuesdays.{{Cite news |date=1889-02-27 |title=Museums Must Have Money.; an Appeal From the Trustees of the Museum of Natural History. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/02/27/archives/museums-must-have-money-an-appeal-from-the-trustees-of-the-museum.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} The museum's collections continued to grow during the 1880s, and it hosted various lectures through the 19th century.{{Cite news |date=1897-01-21 |title=Lectures to Teachers; Bill to Continue the Work of the Museum of Natural History. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/01/21/archives/lectures-to-teachers-bill-to-continue-the-work-of-the-museum-of.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}}

With several departments having been crowded out of the original building, New York state legislators introduced bills to expand the AMNH in early 1887;{{Cite news |date=1887-01-31 |title=Need of a New Museum Building |pages=8 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-need-of-a-new-museum-bu/132143775/ |access-date=2023-09-20}} thousands of teachers endorsed the legislation.{{Cite news |date=1887-02-03 |title=More Room for a Museum |pages=8 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-more-room-for-a-museum/132144998/ |access-date=2023-09-20}} City parks engineer Montgomery A. Kellogg was directed to prepare plans for landscaping the site.{{Cite news |date=1887-02-19 |title=Park Improvements.; Plans Whose Execution Will Cost a Million Dollars. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1887/02/19/archives/park-improvements-plans-whose-execution-will-cost-a-million-dollars.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} In March 1888, the trustees approved an entrance pavilion at the center of the 77th Street elevation.{{Cite news |date=1888-03-29 |title=The New Museum Building.: a Site Selected--Mr. Fuller Talks About the Driveway. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/03/29/archives/the-new-museum-building-a-site-selectedmr-fuller-talks-about-the.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=29 Mar 1888 |title=Natural History Museum Plans: the Park Board Approves the Action of the Trustees in Choosing the Southern Site |page=5 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573349669}}}} The New York City Board of Estimate began soliciting bids from general contractors in late 1889.{{Cite news |date=1889-12-17 |title=$400,000 for the Metropolitan Museum |pages=9 |work=The Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-400000-for-the-metropolitan-mu/132143325/ |access-date=2023-09-20}}{{Cite news |date=1889-12-17 |title=Not to be Open Sundays |pages=6 |work=The Evening World |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-world-not-to-be-open-sundays/132146997/ |access-date=2023-09-21}} Many of the objects and specimens in the museum's collection could not be displayed until the annex was opened.{{Cite news |date=1888-09-05 |title=Enlarging the Museum.; Many Stored Specimens Awaiting the New Building's Completion. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/09/05/archives/enlarging-the-museum-many-stored-specimens-awaiting-the-new.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} The original building was refurbished during 1890,{{cite news |date=25 Sep 1890 |title=The Repairs to Be Finished Soon: Improving and Enlarging the Museum of Natural History |page=4 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|573563984}}}} and the museum's library was transferred to the west wing that year.{{cite book |author=American Museum of Natural History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=52BDAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA22 |title=Annual Report ... American Museum of Natural History |publisher=American Museum of Natural History. |year=1890 |page=14 |issue=v. 21–27}} The AMNH's trustees considered opening the museum on Sundays by February 1892{{cite news |date=14 Feb 1892 |title=Natural History Museum: Officers Propose to Open, It Sunday the New Addition Nearly Completed--what It Will Contain |page=4 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573719244}}}} and stopped charging admission that July.{{cite news |date=29 July 1892 |title=Wore of the Board of Estimate: Entrance Fete to the Natural History Museum to Be Abolished |page=10 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573700422}}}}{{Cite news |date=1892-07-26 |title=To Be Free Every Day.; the Museum of Natural History Will Abolish Pay Days. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/07/26/archives/to-be-free-every-day-the-museum-of-natural-history-will-abolish-pay.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} The museum began Sunday operations in August,{{cite news |date=8 Aug 1892 |title=A Great Success: First Sunday Opening of the Natural History Museum |page=8 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|1016048750}}}} and the southern entrance pavilion opened that November.{{cite news |date=3 Nov 1892 |title=The Museum of Natural History: Formal Opening of the New Wing--a Fine Building With Perfect Fittings |page=10 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573738176}}}}{{Cite news |date=1892-11-03 |title=In and About the City; Museum of Natural History. Formal Opening of the New Wing -- Thousands of Visitors |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/11/03/archives/in-and-about-the-city-museum-of-natural-history-formal-opening-of.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} Even with the new wing, there was still not enough space for the museum's collection. The city's Park Board approved a new lecture hall in January 1893,{{cite news |date=20 Jan 1893 |title=Are the Park Board's Plans Bad: Protesting Against the Adopted Design of the Wing of the Natural History Museum President Dana and the Museum |page=9 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573844372}}}}{{Cite news |date=1893-01-20 |title=In Spite of Opposition.; Natural History Museum to Be Built on Mr. Cady's Plans. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/01/20/archives/in-spite-of-opposition-natural-history-museum-to-be-built-on-mr.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} but the hall was postponed that May in favor of a wing extending east on 77th Street.{{Cite news |date=1893-05-05 |title=No Lecture Hall to Be Built; But the Natural History Museum Will Be Enlarged -- Money for the Health Board. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/05/archives/no-lecture-hall-to-be-built-but-the-natural-history-museum-will-be.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=11 May 1893 |title=Busy Day for the Park Board: Many Subjects Considered--the Natural History Museum Wing |page=4 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573798149}}}} A contract to furnish the east wing was awarded in June 1894.{{cite news |date=28 Jun 1894 |title=To Furnish the Museum of Natural History: Contracts Awarded to John P. Smith for $184,750--trouble Over the Work on the Art Museum |page=11 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|573927961}}}}

When the east wing was nearly completed in February 1895, the AMNH's trustees asked state legislators for $200,000 to build a wing extending west on 77th Street.{{cite news |date=14 Feb 1895 |title=More Room Needed for Specimens: Two Bills Before the Legislature in Aid of the American Museum of Natural History |page=3 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574009754}}}}{{Cite news |date=1895-02-14 |title=The Free Pass Question; A Bill to Compel Railroads to Extend Courtesies. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/02/14/archives/the-free-pass-question-a-bill-to-compel-railroads-to-extend.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} The east wing was still being furnished by August;{{cite news |date=24 Aug 1895 |title=Filling the East Wing: Busy Times at the American Museum of Natural History |page=7 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574077149}}}} its ground floor opened that December.{{cite news |date=8 Dec 1895 |title=A Great Variety of Woods: Samples of American Trees in the Museum of N |page=31 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574123861}}}} The museum's funds and collections continued to grow during this time.{{cite news |date=3 May 1896 |title=Growing as the City Grows: the Natural History Museum's Good Year Increase in Its Endowment Fund and Its Collections--Morris K. Jesup's Report |page=24 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574189462}}}} A hall of mammals opened within the museum in November 1896.{{cite news |date=25 Nov 1896 |title=A New Hall of Mammals: Specimens Added to the Museum of Natural History |page=9 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|1016137716}}}}{{Cite news |date=1896-11-29 |title=The Naturalist's Show |pages=19 |work=The Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-the-naturalists-show/132187228/ |access-date=2023-09-21}} That year, the AMNH received approval to extend the east wing northward along Central Park West, creating an L-shaped structure.{{Cite news |date=1896-04-03 |title=The Museum to be Enlarged |pages=12 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-the-museum-to-be-enlarg/132186954/ |access-date=2023-09-21}} Plans for an expanded east wing were approved in June 1897,{{Cite news |date=1897-06-29 |title=Natural History Museum; Park Board Approves Specifications for the New Wing to the Building — Censors of Posters. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/06/29/archives/natural-history-museum-park-board-approves-specifications-for-the.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} and a contract was awarded two months later.{{Cite news |date=1897-08-24 |title=Meeting of the Park Board; Bids Opened for the New Wing of the Natural History Museum. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/08/24/archives/meeting-of-the-park-board-bids-opened-for-the-new-wing-of-the.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=24 Aug 1897 |title=The Natural History Museum Wing |page=4 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574459388}}}} The museum's director Morris K. Jesup also sponsored worldwide expeditions to obtain objects for the collection.{{Cite news |date=1897-03-12 |title=To Study Man's Progress; Morris K. Jesup Will Send an Expedition All Over the Known World |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1897/03/12/archives/to-study-mans-progress-morris-k-jesup-will-send-an-expedition-all.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} By mid-1898, the west wing, the expanded east wing, and a lecture hall at the center of the museum were underway;{{Cite news |date=1898-04-17 |title=The Natural History Museum; Pushing Work on Three Important Additions at Once — Activity of the Important. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/04/17/archives/the-natural-history-museum-pushing-work-on-three-important.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} however, the project encountered delays due to a lack of city funding.{{Cite news |date=1899-06-11 |title=Huge Fossil Lizard; A Notable Specimen Now in the American Museum of Natural History -Work of the Museum. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/06/11/archives/huge-fossil-lizard-a-notable-specimen-now-in-the-american-museum-of.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}} The west and east wings, with several exhibit halls, were nearly complete by late 1899, but the lecture hall had been delayed.{{cite news |date=17 Sep 1899 |title=Scientific Treasures: the Natural History Museum's New Material a Hall of May Sculpture Studying the "Amerind" ... And Butterflies Around New-york--magnificent Antelopes and Corals |page=30 |work=New-York Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|574653780}}}} A hall dedicated to ancient Mexican art opened that December.{{Cite news |date=1899-12-17 |title=Aztec Life Illustrated; Significance of the Exhibit of Ancient Mexican Art |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1899/12/17/archives/aztec-life-illustrated-significance-of-the-exhibit-of-ancient.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |date=1899-12-13 |title=Treasures of Mexican Hall |pages=6 |work=The Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-treasures-of-mexican-hall/132190587/ |access-date=2023-09-21}}

The museum's 1,350-seat lecture hall opened in October 1900, as did the Native American and Mexican halls in the west wing.{{Cite news |date=1900-10-31 |title=Natural History Museum; New Lecture Hall Opened with Appropriate Ceremonies. Building Now Presents a Complete Facade — Addresses by Patrons of the Institution. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/10/31/archives/natural-history-museum-new-lecture-hall-opened-with-appropriate.html |access-date=2023-09-26 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |date=1900-10-28 |title=New Relics and Fossils |pages=31 |work=New-York Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-new-relics-and-fossils/132482034/ |access-date=2023-09-26}} During the 1900s, the AMNH sponsored several expeditions to grow its collection, including a trip to Mexico,{{cite news |date=24 Aug 1902 |title=Curiosities Brought Here From Mexico: Facts Gathered Concerning the Aztec Indians. Result of Seven Months' Tour by Dr. Ales Hrdlicka of the Museum of Natural History — Photographs and Measurements. |page=20 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|96183425}}}} a trip to collect fauna from the Pacific Northwest,{{cite news |date=5 July 1903 |title=New Group of Northwest Fauna: First Visible Result of Andrew J. Stone Fund in Place at the American Museum of Natural History--difficulties of the Undertaking |page=29 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|1013631335}}}} a trip to collect art in China,{{Cite news |date=1904-12-11 |title=Chinese Popular Art; New Representative Collection at the Natural History Museum. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/12/11/archives/chinese-popular-art-new-representative-collection-at-the-natural.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} and an expedition to collect rocks in local caves.{{Cite news |date=1902-01-05 |title=New Finds in Manhattan Rock Shelters and Kitchen Middens. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/01/05/archives/new-finds-in-manhattan-rock-shelters-and-kitchen-middens.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} One such exhibition yielded a brontosaurus skeleton, which was the centerpiece of the dinosaur hall that opened in February 1905.{{Cite news |date=1905-02-17 |title=A 'Dinosaur Tea' |pages=2 |work=The Buffalo Commercial |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-commercial-a-dinosaur-tea/132488859/ |access-date=2023-09-27}}{{Cite news |date=1905-02-15 |title=500 to Drink Tea Under Big Dinosaur; Sixty-seven-Foot Skeleton of Old Amphibian to Shade the Tables |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/02/15/archives/500-to-drink-tea-under-big-dinosaur-sixtysevenfoot-skeleton-of-old.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}}

In the early 1920s, museum president Henry Fairfield Osborn planned a new entrance for the AMNH, which was to contain a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=96}} Also around that time, the New York state government formed a commission to study the feasibility of a Roosevelt memorial.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=96}}{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=January 27, 1995 |title=Natural History Museum Plans Big Overhaul |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/nyregion/natural-history-museum-plans-big-overhaul.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528114740/https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/nyregion/natural-history-museum-plans-big-overhaul.html |url-status=live}} After a dispute over whether to put the memorial in Albany or in New York City,{{Cite news |date=February 7, 1924 |title=Roosevelt Board at Odds Over Site; Memorial Commission, Divided Between Albany and New York, Leaves Question to Legislature. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/02/07/archives/roosevelt-board-at-odds-over-site-memorial-commission-divided.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223436/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/02/07/archives/roosevelt-board-at-odds-over-site-memorial-commission-divided.html |url-status=live}} the government of New York City offered a site next to the AMNH for consideration.{{Cite news |date=March 25, 1924 |title=City Offers a Site for Roosevelt Hall; Votes to Give Land in Square Occupied by Museum of Natural History. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/03/25/archives/city-offers-a-site-for-roosevelt-hall-votes-to-give-land-in-square.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223419/https://www.nytimes.com/1924/03/25/archives/city-offers-a-site-for-roosevelt-hall-votes-to-give-land-in-square.html |url-status=live}} The commission rejected a "conventional Greek mausoleum" design, instead opting to design a triumphal arch and hall in a Roman style.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=96}} In 1925, the AMNH's trustees hosted an architectural design competition, selecting John Russell Pope to design the memorial hall.{{Cite news |date=June 4, 1925 |title=J.R. Pope to Design Roosevelt Tribute; Trustees Select New York Architect in Contest for State Memorial |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/06/04/archives/jr-pope-to-design-roosevelt-tribute-trustees-select-new-york.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223415/https://www.nytimes.com/1925/06/04/archives/jr-pope-to-design-roosevelt-tribute-trustees-select-new-york.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |date=June 4, 1925 |title=Pope to Build Museum Memorial to Roosevelt: Architect Chosen From Eight Who Submitted Plans |page=15 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1113191892}}}} Construction began in 1929,{{Cite news |date=January 19, 1936 |title=President Honors Cousin Here Today; Dedication of Memorial Hall to Theodore Roosevelt to Draw Many Members of Family |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/19/archives/president-honors-cousin-here-today-dedication-of-memorial-hall-to.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316092648/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/19/archives/president-honors-cousin-here-today-dedication-of-memorial-hall-to.html |url-status=live}} and the trustees approved final plans the next year.{{Cite news |date=May 3, 1930 |title=Plans Are Approved for Roosevelt Shrine; Memorial Group Says $3,500,000 Building at West 79th St. Will Be Ready in 1932. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/03/archives/plans-are-approved-for-roosevelt-shrine-memorial-group-says-3500000.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223431/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/05/03/archives/plans-are-approved-for-roosevelt-shrine-memorial-group-says-3500000.html |url-status=live}} J. Harry McNally was the general contractor.{{Cite news |date=December 7, 1930 |title=Bids on Memorial to Roosevelt Let; Contract of $1,969,380 for General Work Awarded on $3,500,000 Building |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/bids-on-memorial-to-roosevelt-let-contract-of-1969380-for-general.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223432/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/07/archives/bids-on-memorial-to-roosevelt-let-contract-of-1969380-for-general.html |url-status=live}} Roosevelt's cousin, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, dedicated the memorial on January 19, 1936.{{Cite news |date=January 20, 1936 |title=President Extols 'T.R.' as Defender of Social Justice; At Dedication of Memorial, He Finds Lesson in His Cousin's Progressive Policies |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/20/archives/president-extols-tr-as-defender-of-social-justice-at-dedication-of.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223433/https://www.nytimes.com/1936/01/20/archives/president-extols-tr-as-defender-of-social-justice-at-dedication-of.html |url-status=live}}{{cite news |date=January 20, 1936 |title='Square Deal' Tribute Paid By Roosevelt: President Dedicates New Wing at History Museum Hern as a Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt Says Predecessor Fought for Justice Lehman and LaGuardia Also Speak; Ceremonies Are Witnessed by 1,500 |page=1 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1222212379}}}}

The original building was later known as "Wing A". During the 1950s, the top floor was renovated into a library, being redecorated with what Christopher Gray of The New York Times described as "dropped ceilings and the other usual insults".{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=1994-06-19 |title=Streetscapes/The American Museum of Natural History; A Vaux Masterpiece Eroded and, Now, Ignored |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/19/realestate/streetscapes-american-museum-natural-history-vaux-masterpiece-eroded-now-ignored.html |access-date=2022-08-02 |issn=0362-4331}} The ten-story Childs Frick Building, which contained the AMNH's fossil collection, was added to the museum in the 1970s.{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Walter |date=1975-04-09 |title=Natural History Museum Builds A Wing for 600 Tons of Fossils |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/09/archives/natural-history-museum-builds-a-wing-for-600-tons-of-fossils.html |access-date=2022-08-02 |issn=0362-4331}}

The architect Kevin Roche and his firm Roche-Dinkeloo have been responsible for the master planning of the museum since the 1990s. Various renovations to both the interior and exterior have been carried out. Renovations to the Dinosaur Hall were undertaken beginning in 1991,{{cite web |last=Collins |first=Glenn |title=Clearing a New Path for T. Rex and Company |website=The New York Times |date=December 1, 1991 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/clearing-a-new-path-for-t-rex-and-company.html |access-date=May 5, 2018 |archive-date=August 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829041946/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/01/arts/clearing-a-new-path-for-t-rex-and-company.html |url-status=live}} and Roche-Dinkeloo designed the eight-story AMNH Library in 1992.{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Lawrence |date=December 26, 2013 |title=American Museum of Natural History {{!}} PureHistory |url=https://purehistory.org/american-museum-of-natural-history/ |access-date=May 15, 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223421/https://purehistory.org/american-museum-of-natural-history/ |url-status=live }} The museum's Rose Center for Earth and Space was completed in 2000.{{Cite news |last=Berger |first=Alisha |date=2000-02-06 |title=Travel Advisory; In Manhattan, a New View of the Firmament |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/02/06/travel/travel-advisory-in-manhattan-a-new-view-of-the-firmament.html |access-date=2022-08-02 |issn=0362-4331}}

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In 2001, the museum's lecture hall was renamed the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Theater, after Samuel J. LeFrak donated US$8 million to the AMNH.{{Cite news |date=2001-07-15 |title=Postings: $8 Million for Natural History Museum; For Theater, A New Name, A New Look |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/15/realestate/postings-8-million-for-natural-history-museum-for-theater-a-new-name-a-new-look.html |access-date=2022-08-02 |issn=0362-4331}} The museum's south facade, spanning 77th Street from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue, was cleaned and repaired, re-emerging in 2009. Steven Reichl, a spokesman for the museum, said that work would include restoring 650 black-cherry window frames and stone repairs. The museum's consultant on the latest renovation was Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., an architectural and engineering firm with headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois.{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |date=2007-07-29 |title=The Face Will Still Be Forbidding, But Much Tighter and Cleaner |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/realestate/29scap.html |url-status=live |access-date=2009-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720013417/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/realestate/29scap.html |archive-date=2011-07-20 }} The museum also restored the mural in Roosevelt Memorial Hall in 2010.{{cite web |last=Barron |first=James |date=2010-06-20 |title=Teddy Is Restored. In Paint, at Least. |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/teddy-is-restored-in-paint-at-least/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102044006/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/teddy-is-restored-in-paint-at-least/ |archive-date=2021-11-02 |access-date=2018-05-05 |website=City Room}}

In 2014, the museum published plans for a $325 million, {{cvt|195000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} annex, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, on the Columbus Avenue side. It was named after stockbroker and philanthropist Richard Gilder.{{cite web |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |title=American Museum of Natural History Plans an Addition |website=The New York Times |date=December 11, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/arts/design/american-museum-of-natural-history-plans-an-addition.html |access-date=May 5, 2018 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111234142/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/arts/design/american-museum-of-natural-history-plans-an-addition.html |url-status=live}}

On October 11, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the expansion. Construction of the Gilder Center, which was expected to break ground the next year following design development and Environmental Impact Statement stages, would entail demolition of three museum buildings built between 1874 and 1935.{{cite web |last=Wachs |first=Audrey |title=Landmarks Commission approves Natural History Museum expansion |website=Archpaper.com |date=October 11, 2016 |url=https://archpaper.com/2016/10/landmarks-commission-approves-natural-history-museum-expansion/ |access-date=May 5, 2018 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125024027/https://www.archpaper.com/2016/10/landmarks-commission-approves-natural-history-museum-expansion/ |url-status=live}} The museum filed plans for the expansion in August 2017,{{cite web |title=Natural History Museum files plans for Gilder Center expansion |website=Real Estate Weekly |date=August 14, 2017 |url=http://rew-online.com/2017/08/14/natural-history-museum-files-super-sized-plans-for-gilder-center-expansion/ |access-date=May 5, 2018 |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627202759/http://rew-online.com/2017/08/14/natural-history-museum-files-super-sized-plans-for-gilder-center-expansion/ |url-status=dead}} but due to community opposition, construction did not start until June 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2019/06/natural-history-expansion/ |title=American Museum of Natural History Launches $383M Expansion |last=Appel |first=Alex |date=June 13, 2019 |website=Commercial Observer |language=en |access-date=July 9, 2019 |archive-date=July 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709012806/https://commercialobserver.com/2019/06/natural-history-expansion/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.amny.com/news/american-museum-natural-history-roosevelt-park-1.32186098 |title=American Museum of Natural History to break ground on new center |website=am New York |date=June 10, 2019 |language=en |access-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708233813/https://www.amny.com/news/american-museum-natural-history-roosevelt-park-1.32186098 |url-status=live}}

On May 4, 2023, the Gilder Center opened,{{cite web | title=Studio Gang's Richard Gilder Center Opens in New York | website=Metropolis | date=2023-05-09 | url=https://metropolismag.com/projects/the-richard-gilder-center-opens-at-the-american-museum-of-natural-history/ | access-date=2023-07-12 }}{{cite web | last=Santos | first= Gracelyn | title=Visiting the new Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History: What you need to know | website=silive | date=May 5, 2023 | url=https://www.silive.com/entertainment/2023/05/visiting-the-new-gilder-center-at-the-american-museum-of-natural-history-what-you-need-to-know.html | access-date=July 12, 2023}} and the museum had 1.5 million visitors over the next three months.{{Cite news |last=Graeber |first=Laurel |date=2023-08-10 |title=Gilder Center Flies, Wriggles and Surprises |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/10/arts/design/gilder-center-museum-natural-history-animals.html |access-date=2023-09-21 |issn=0362-4331}}

In late 2023, the museum announced that it would stop displaying human remains from its collection.{{Cite news|last=Small|first=Zachary|date=2023-10-15|title=Facing Scrutiny, a Museum That Holds 12,000 Human Remains Changes Course|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/arts/american-museum-natural-history-human-remains.html|access-date=2023-10-15|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news|last=Helmore|first=Edward|date=2023-10-15|title=Top New York museum to remove all human remains from display|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/15/american-museum-of-natural-history-human-remains|access-date=2023-10-15|issn=0261-3077}} Despite the 1990 passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), as late as 2023, the AMNH held an estimated 1,900 Native American remains that had not been repatriated.{{Cite web |first1=Logan |last1=Jaffe |first2=Mary |last2= Hudetz |first3=Ash |last3=Ngu |first4=Graham Lee |last4=Brewer |date=2023-01-11 |title=America's Biggest Museums Fail to Return Native American Human Remains |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/repatriation-nagpra-museums-human-remains |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=ProPublica |language=en}}

In January 2024, the museum closed a number of displays and the AMNH's Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains halls, or about 10,000 square feet.{{cite news|access-date=2 April 2025 |author1=Julia Jacobs |author2=Zachary Small |date=26 January 2024 |language=en |quote=closing galleries dedicated to the Eastern Woodlands and the Great Plains this weekend, and covering a number of other display cases [...] closures will leave nearly 10,000 square feet of exhibition space off-limits to visitors |title=Leading Museums Remove Native Displays Amid New Federal Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/arts/design/american-museum-of-natural-history-nagpra.html |work=The New York Times}}{{cite web | last=Yang | first=Maya | title=New York museum to close halls featuring Native American artifacts | website=the Guardian | date=January 27, 2024 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/jan/27/new-yorks-natural-history-museum-to-close-halls-featuring-native-american-artifacts | access-date=January 28, 2024}} The museum agreed to repatriate the remains that July.{{Cite news|last=Small|first=Zachary|date=2024-07-26|title=Museum of Natural History Says It Is Repatriating 124 Human Remains|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/26/arts/design/american-museum-natural-history-native-american.html|access-date=2024-07-26|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

File:AMNH building West 77th.jpg, Primates, and the Wallach Orientation Center.]]The original Victorian Gothic building was designed by Calvert Vaux and J. Wrey Mould, both already closely identified with the architecture of Central Park.{{sfn|Preston|1986|pp=19–20}}{{harvnb|ps=.|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1999|pp=182–183}} Vaux and Mould's original plan was intended to complement the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the opposite side of Central Park. The original building, as constructed, was at the center of the 77th Street frontage and measured {{convert|199|by|66|ft}} across;{{Cite news |date=1877-12-20 |title=Natural History Museum.; Costly Building in Central Park. A Structure Which Will Cover Nearly Eighteen and a Half Acres—description of the Finished Part—the Contents of the Exhibition Halls—preparations for the Opening by President Hayes Next Saturday. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1877/12/20/archives/natural-history-museum-costly-building-in-central-park-a-structure.html |access-date=2023-09-20 |issn=0362-4331}} it featured a gallery measuring {{convert|112|ft}} long{{cvt|200|ft}} tall. This gallery contained a raised basement, three stories of exhibits, Venetian Gothic arches, and an attic with dormers and a slate roof. The rear of the gallery included two towers: one containing a stairwell and the other containing curators' rooms. The original structure still exists but is hidden from view by the many buildings in the complex that today occupy most of Manhattan Square.{{sfn|Preston|1986|pp=19–20}} The museum remains accessible through its 77th Street foyer, which has since been renamed the Grand Gallery.{{cite web |date=2018-08-02 |title=Grand Gallery |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/grand-gallery |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=American Museum of Natural History}}

The full plan called for twelve pavilions similar in design to the original building. Eight pavilions would have been arranged as the sides of a square, while the remaining four would be perpendicular to each other in the interior of the square. There were to be eight towers along the perimeter of the square, as well as a {{cvt|120|ft|m|adj=mid|-wide}} dome in the center, at the intersection of the four interior pavilions.{{cite news |date=15 Dec 1877 |title=New-York's New Museum: Preparations of the American Museum of Natural History for Opening Next Saturday--the Building Entirely Filled With Valuable Curiosities--Programme of the Opening |page=2 |work=New-York Tribune |id={{ProQuest|572700850}}}}{{Cite magazine |date=Feb 23, 1878 |title=The New Museum of Natural History in New York City. |magazine=The London Reader : of Literature, Science, Art and General Information |volume=30 |issue=773 |page=393 |id={{ProQuest|7976420}}}} In each pavilion, there was to be a ground floor; the second floor was to contain a gallery; the third floor was to exhibit specimens; and the fourth floor was to be used for research. Upon the intended completion of the master plan, the museum would measure {{cvt|850|ft}} from north to south and {{cvt|650|ft}} from west to east, including projections from the square. The finished structure, with a ground area of over {{cvt|18|acre}}, would have been the largest building in North America, as well as the largest museum building in the world. The master plan was never fully realized;{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=1995-01-27 |title=Natural History Museum Plans Big Overhaul |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/27/nyregion/natural-history-museum-plans-big-overhaul.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} by 2015, the museum consisted of 25 separate buildings that were poorly connected.{{cite web |date=November 5, 2015 |title=Museum of Natural History Reveals Design for Expansion |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/arts/design/museum-of-natural-history-reveals-design-for-expansion.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125000523/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/arts/design/museum-of-natural-history-reveals-design-for-expansion.html |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |access-date=May 5, 2018 |website=The New York Times}}

The original building was soon eclipsed by the west and east wings of the southern frontage, designed by J. Cleaveland Cady as a brownstone neo-Romanesque structure. It extends {{cvt|700|ft|m}} along West 77th Street,{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=April 2, 2006 |title=Shoring Up a Castle Wall |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/nyregion/02wall.html |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524182007/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/nyregion/02wall.html |archive-date=May 24, 2013}} with corner towers {{cvt|150|ft|m}} tall. Its pink brownstone and granite, similar to that found at Grindstone Island in the St. Lawrence River, came from quarries at Picton Island, New York.{{cite journal |last=Newland |first=D. H. |date=January 1916 |title=The Quarry Materials of New York—Granite, Gneiss, Trap and Marble |journal=New York State Museum Bulletin |issue=181 |page=75}} The southern wing contains several halls ranging in size from {{convert|60|x|110|ft}} to {{cvt|30|x|125|ft}}. At the ends of either wings are rounded turret-like towers.

The main entrance hall on Central Park West is formally known as the New York State Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. Completed by John Russell Pope in 1936, it is an over-scaled Beaux-Arts monument to former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. The hall was originally supposed to have formed one end of an "Intermuseum Promenade" through Central Park, connecting with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the east,{{Cite news |date=March 12, 1922 |title=Great Roosevelt Memorial; New Entrance Hall to American Museum of Natural History on Central Park West Planned by Trustees-- Connecting Promenade Feature |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/03/12/archives/great-roosevelt-memorial-new-entrance-hall-to-american-museum-of.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223439/https://www.nytimes.com/1922/03/12/archives/great-roosevelt-memorial-new-entrance-hall-to-american-museum-of.html |url-status=live}} but the promenade was never completed.{{Cite news |date=May 16, 1935 |title=Park Plaza Plans Shelved by Moses; Approach to Museum Memorial to Theodore Roosevelt Is Abandoned for Present. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/16/archives/park-plaza-plans-shelved-by-moses-approach-to-museum-memorial-to.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223447/https://www.nytimes.com/1935/05/16/archives/park-plaza-plans-shelved-by-moses-approach-to-museum-memorial-to.html |url-status=live}}

The memorial hall has a pink-granite facade, which is modeled after Roman arches.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=3}} In front of the hall on Central Park West is a terrace measuring {{cvt|350|ft}} long, as well as a series of steps. The main entrance consists of an arch measuring {{cvt|60|ft}} high. The underside of the arch is a coffered granite vestibule, which leads to a bronze, glass, and marble screen.{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|p=11}} On either side of the arch are niches that contain sculptures of a bison and a bear.{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|p=11}} It is flanked by two pairs of columns, which are topped by figures of American explorers John James Audubon, Daniel Boone, Meriwether Lewis, and William Clark.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=97}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=3}} These figures were sculpted by James Earle Fraser and are about {{cvt|30|ft}} high.{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|p=11}} In the attic above the main archway, there is an inscription describing Roosevelt's accomplishments.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=97}} The words "Truth", "Knowledge", and "Vision" are carved into the entablature under this inscription.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=97}}

Fraser also designed an equestrian statue of Theodore Roosevelt, flanked by a Native American and an African American, which originally stood outside the memorial hall. In the 21st century, the statue generated controversy due to its subordinate depiction of these figures behind Roosevelt.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|pages=97-98}}{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2020 |title=Family member of Theodore Roosevelt weighs in on statue removal: 'I think it gives the wrong message' |url=https://abc7ny.com/theodore-roosevelt-statue-nyc-why-is-roosevelts-being-removed-teddy-american-museum-of-natural-history/6260686/ |access-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205233335/https://abc7ny.com/theodore-roosevelt-statue-nyc-why-is-roosevelts-being-removed-teddy-american-museum-of-natural-history/6260686/ |url-status=live}} This prompted AMNH officials to announce in 2020 that they would remove the statue.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=June 21, 2020 |title=Roosevelt Statue to Be Removed From Museum of Natural History |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/arts/design/roosevelt-statue-to-be-removed-from-museum-of-natural-history.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621231116/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/21/arts/design/roosevelt-statue-to-be-removed-from-museum-of-natural-history.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Durón |first=Maximilíano |date=June 21, 2020 |title=New York's Natural History Museum Will Remove Controversial Theodore Roosevelt Statue |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/natural-history-museum-theodore-roosevelt-statue-removal-1202691772/ |access-date=May 31, 2022 |website=ARTnews.com |archive-date=April 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418021038/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/natural-history-museum-theodore-roosevelt-statue-removal-1202691772/ |url-status=live}} The statue was removed in January 2022 and will be on a long-term loan to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota.{{cite news |last=Suliman |first=Adela |date=January 20, 2022 |title=Theodore Roosevelt statue removed from outside New York's Museum of Natural History |work=MSN |publisher=The Washington Post |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/theodore-roosevelt-statue-removed-from-outside-new-york-e2-80-99s-museum-of-natural-history/ar-AASY3Gt |accessdate=January 20, 2022 |archive-date=January 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120141901/https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/theodore-roosevelt-statue-removed-from-outside-new-york-e2-80-99s-museum-of-natural-history/ar-AASY3Gt |url-status=live}}{{cite web |date=January 20, 2022 |title=New York City's natural history museum has removed a Theodore Roosevelt statue |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/20/1074394869/roosevelt-statue-removed-natural-history-museum |access-date=May 31, 2022 |website=NPR.org |archive-date=April 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421023844/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/20/1074394869/roosevelt-statue-removed-natural-history-museum |url-status=live}}File:American Natural History Museum 467821248 0f115644b4.jpgThe interior of the Memorial Hall measures {{cvt|67|by|120|ft}} across, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling measuring {{cvt|100|ft}} tall.{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=98}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=|pages=3-4}}{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|pages=11-12}} The ceiling contains octagonal coffers, while the floors are made of mosaic marble tiles.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=|pages=3-4}}{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|page=12}} The lowest {{cvt|9|ft}} of the walls are wainscoted in marble, above which the walls of the memorial hall are made of limestone. The top of each wall contains a marble band and a Corinthian entablature.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=4}} Each of the Memorial Hall's four sides contains two red-marble columns, each measuring {{cvt|48|ft}} tall and rising from a Botticino marble pedestal. There are rounded windows at clerestory level on the north and south walls.{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=4}}{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|page=12}} William Andrew MacKay designed three {{cvt|62|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid}} murals depicting important events in Roosevelt's life: the construction of the Panama Canal on the north wall, African exploration on the west wall, and the Treaty of Portsmouth on the south wall.{{cite news |date=February 28, 1934 |title=Mural Portrays Work Of Theodore Roosevelt: Mackay Busy on 3 Panels, Each 62 by 39 Feet At Work on Mural of Theodore Roosevelt |page=21 |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1114836167}}}}{{Cite news |date=February 25, 1934 |title=Eras in 'T.R.'s' Life Depicted in Mural: Hugo Canvases for Memorial Being Painted From Stage in an 80-foot Well. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/25/archives/eras-in-trs-life-depicted-in-mural-hugo-canvases-for-memorial-being.html |access-date=May 31, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223433/https://www.nytimes.com/1934/02/25/archives/eras-in-trs-life-depicted-in-mural-hugo-canvases-for-memorial-being.html |url-status=live}} The east and west walls, contain four quotes from Roosevelt under the headings "Nature", "Manhood", "Youth", and "The State".{{sfn|Macaulay-Lewis|2021|page=98}}{{sfn|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975|page=4}}{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|page=13}}

The Memorial Hall originally connected to various classrooms, exhibition rooms, and a 600-person auditorium.{{sfn|American Museum of Natural History|1936|page=14}} Directly underneath the Memorial Hall is an entrance to the 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station. Today, the hall connects to the Akeley Hall of African Mammals and the Hall of Asian Mammals. The Memorial Hall contains four exhibits that describe Theodore Roosevelt's conservation activities in his youth, early adulthood, U.S. presidency, and post-presidency.{{cite web |date=June 26, 2019 |title=Theodore Roosevelt Memorial: Our Conservation President |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/theodore-roosevelt-memorial/hall |access-date=May 31, 2022 |website=American Museum of Natural History |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220110203855/https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/theodore-roosevelt-memorial/hall |url-status=live}}

File:Akeley Hall of African Mammals at AMNH.jpgFile:Akeley6.jpgNamed after taxidermist Carl Akeley, the Akeley Hall of African Mammals is a two-story hall on the second floor, directly west of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. It connects to the Hall of African Peoples to the west.{{cite web |title=Interactive Map |url=https://www.amnh.org/interactive-map |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=American Museum of Natural History}} The Hall of African Mammals' 28 dioramas depict in meticulous detail the great range of ecosystems found in Africa and the mammals endemic to them. The centerpiece of the hall is a herd of eight African elephants in a characteristic 'alarmed' formation.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/general53amer/general53amer_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "General guide to the exhibition halls of the American Museum of Natural History" |access-date=May 12, 2014}} Though the mammals are typically the main feature in the dioramas, birds and flora of the regions are occasionally featured as well.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsrEOKzxL5A#t=0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/JsrEOKzxL5A |archive-date=December 12, 2021 |url-status=live |title=Revisiting Akeley's Gorillas |publisher=YouTube |date=February 16, 2011 |access-date=May 12, 2014}}{{cbignore}} The hall in its current form was completed in 1936.{{Cite news |last=Owen |first=Russell |date=1936-05-17 |title=Africa Comes to Life in New York; In Akeley Hall the Wild Life of a Romantic Continent Is Brought to Vivid Reality |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1936/05/17/archives/africa-comes-to-life-in-new-york-africa-comes-to-new-york-in-akeley.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite news |date=20 May 1936 |title=Natural History Museum Dedicates Akeley Exhibit: New African Hall, Result of 25 Years' Planning, Open Today As Museum of Natural History Opens Akeley Hall |page=3A |work=New York Herald Tribune |id={{ProQuest|1330087090}}}}

The Hall of African Mammals was first proposed to the museum by Carl Akeley around 1909; he proposed 40 dioramas featuring the rapidly vanishing landscapes and animals of Africa. Daniel Pomeroy, a trustee of the museum and partner at J.P. Morgan & Co., offered investors the opportunity to accompany the museum's expeditions in Africa in exchange for funding.{{cite web |date=September 28, 2011 |title=Painting Actuality: Chapter 5: 1934: Joining the American Museum of Natural History |url=http://peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter-5-joining-the-american-museum-of-natural-history |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409063123/http://peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter-5-joining-the-american-museum-of-natural-history |archive-date=April 9, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |publisher=Peabody.yale.edu}} Akeley began collecting specimens for the hall as early as 1909, famously encountering Theodore Roosevelt in the midst of the Smithsonian-Roosevelt African expedition.{{Cite news |last=Pollak |first=Michael |date=2012-10-27 |title=Roosevelt's Elephant |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/nyregion/theodore-roosevelts-elephant.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} On these early expeditions, Akeley was accompanied by his former apprentice in taxidermy, James L. Clark, and artist, William R. Leigh. When Akeley returned to Africa to collect gorillas for the hall's first diorama, Clark remained behind and began scouring the country for artists to create the backgrounds. The eventual appearance of the first habitat groups impacted the design of other diorama halls, including Birds of the World, the Hall of North American Mammals, the Vernay Hall of Southeast Asian Mammals, and the Hall of Oceanic Life.

File:Bongo diorama at the AMNH African Mammal Hall.jpg

After Akeley's unexpected death during the Eastman-Pomeroy expedition in 1926, responsibility of the hall's completion fell to James L. Clark, who hired architectural artist James Perry Wilson in 1933 to assist Leigh in the painting of backgrounds. Wilson made many improvements on Leigh's techniques, including a range of methods to minimize the distortion caused by the dioramas' curved walls. In 1936, William Durant Campbell, a wealthy board member with a desire to see Africa, offered to fund several dioramas if allowed to obtain the specimens himself. Clark agreed to this arrangement, resulting in the acquisition of numerous large specimens.{{cite news |author=Wolfgang Saxon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/25/obituaries/wd-campbell-88-promoted-scouting-in-the-third-world.html |title=W.D. Campbell, 88; Promoted Scouting In the Third World – New York Times |work=The New York Times |date=October 25, 1995 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413094208/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/25/obituaries/wd-campbell-88-promoted-scouting-in-the-third-world.html |url-status=live}} Kane joined Leigh, Wilson, and several other artists in completing the hall's remaining dioramas. Though construction of the hall was completed in 1936, the dioramas gradually opened between the mid-1920s and early 1940s.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/mammal-halls/akeley-hall-of-african-mammals |title=Akeley Hall of African Mammals |publisher=Amnh.org |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=May 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505001653/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/mammal-halls/akeley-hall-of-african-mammals |url-status=live}}

File:Indian elephant in Hall of Asian Mammals at AMNH.jpg in the Hall of Asian Mammals]]

File:Indian rhinoceros diorama at the Hall of Asian Mammals at AMNH.jpg diorama in the Hall of Asian Mammals]]

The Hall of Asian Mammals, sometimes referred to as the Vernay-Faunthorpe Hall of Asian Mammals, is directly south of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. It contains 8 complete dioramas, 4 partial dioramas, and 6 habitat groups of mammals and locations from India, Nepal, Burma, and Malaysia. The hall opened in 1930 and, similar to the Akeley Hall of African Mammals, is centered around 2 Asian elephants. At one point, a giant panda and Siberian tiger were also part of the Hall's collection, originally intended to be part of an adjoining Hall of North Asian Mammals (planned in the current location of Stout Hall of Asian Peoples). These specimens can currently be seen in the Hall of Biodiversity.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/mammal-halls/hall-of-asian-mammals |title=Hall of Asian Mammals |publisher=Amnh.org |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=July 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140725022507/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/mammal-halls/hall-of-asian-mammals |url-status=live}}

Specimens for the Hall of Asian Mammals were collected over six expeditions led by British-born antiques dealer Arthur S. Vernay and Col. John Faunthorpe (as noted by stylized plaques at both entrances). The expeditions were funded entirely by Vernay, who characterized the expense as a British tribute to American involvement in World War I.[http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2010/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20Freeman/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20FreeMan%201923%20Grayscale/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20Freeman%201923%20b%20Grayscale%20-%200082.pdf "Explorers hunt for pink duck"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831014419/https://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%2010/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20Freeman/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20FreeMan%201923%20Grayscale/Kingston%20NY%20Daily%20Freeman%201923%20b%20Grayscale%20-%200082.pdf |date=August 31, 2021 }}. Kingston Daily Freeman. October 11, 1923. The first Vernay-Faunthorpe expedition took place in 1922, when many of the animals Vernay was seeking, such as the Sumatran rhinoceros and Asiatic lion, were facing the possibility of extinction. Vernay made many appeals to regional authorities to obtain hunting permits;[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19240117&id=xOFiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-3gNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3239,5737529 Explorer Embarks on Long Journey to Search for Rare Wild Animals] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516203420/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19240117&id=xOFiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-3gNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3239,5737529 |date=May 16, 2016 }} Lawrence Journal- January 17, 1924 in later museum-related expeditions headed by Vernay, these appeals helped the museum gain access to areas previously restricted to foreign visitors.{{cite web |author=Nina Gregorev |url=http://anthro.amnh.org/vernay_collection |title=Vernay-Hopwood Chindwin Expedition | Anthropology |publisher=Anthro.amnh.org |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174448/http://anthro.amnh.org/vernay_collection |url-status=live}} Artist Clarence C. Rosenkranz accompanied the Vernay-Faunthorpe expeditions as field artist and painted the majority of the diorama backgrounds in the hall.{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Diorama+diversity.-a0184799158 |title=Diorama diversity. – Free Online Library |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182129/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Diorama+diversity.-a0184799158 |url-status=live}} These expeditions were also well documented in both photo and video, with enough footage of the first expedition to create a feature-length film, Hunting Tigers in India (1929).{{cite news |last=Hall |first=Mordaunt |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9803E7DF143BE23ABC4852DFB4678382639EDE |title=Movie Review – Hunting Tigers in India – THE SCREEN |work=The New York Times |date=December 10, 1929 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418091955/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9803E7DF143BE23ABC4852DFB4678382639EDE |url-status=live}}

File:Grizzly bear diorama at AMNH.jpgs in the Hall of North American Mammals]]

File:Alaska Moose at the American Museum of Natural History.jpg diorama in the Hall of North American Mammals]]

The Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals is on the first floor, directly west of the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. features 43 dioramas of various mammals of the American continent, north of tropical Mexico. Each diorama places focus on a particular species, ranging from the largest megafauna to the smaller rodents and carnivorans. Notable dioramas include the Alaskan brown bears looking at a salmon after they scared off an otter, a pair of wolves, a pair of Sonoran jaguars, and dueling bull Alaska moose.

The Hall of North American Mammals opened in 1942 with only ten dioramas.{{Cite news |date=1942-04-03 |title=Preview Wednesday Opens Museum Show; Natural History Institution to Display American Mammals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/04/03/archives/preview-wednesday-opens-museum-show-natural-history-institution-to.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} Another 16 dioramas were added in 1963.{{Cite news |date=1963-12-18 |title=New Mammal Display at Museum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1963/12/18/archives/new-mammal-display-at-museum.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} A massive restoration project began in late 2011 following a large donation from Jill and Lewis Bernard.{{Cite news |last=Fountain |first=Henry |date=2011-10-21 |title=Behind the Glass, Primping Up Some Old Friends |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/arts/artsspecial/diorama-restoration-at-the-american-museum-of-natural-history.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite magazine |date=2011-08-08 |title=Little Worlds |url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/08/15/little-worlds |access-date=2022-06-13 |magazine=The New Yorker}} In October 2012 the hall was reopened as the Bernard Hall of North American Mammals.{{cite magazine |date=2012-09-27 |title=Taxidermists, Artists Bring Aging Museum Animals Back to Lifelike |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/09/amnh-museum-mammals-restoration/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |magazine=Wired}}

The Hall of Small Mammals is an offshoot of the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals, directly to the west of the latter. There are several small dioramas featuring small mammals found throughout North America, including collared peccaries, Abert's squirrel, and a wolverine.

File:Cuthbert Rookery Diorama.JPG

The Sanford Hall of North American birds is a one-story hall on the third floor, between the Hall of Primates and Akeley Hall's second level. There are over 20 dioramas depicting birds from across North America in their native habitats.{{cite web |title=Hall of North American Birds |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=August 2, 2018 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/north-american-birds |access-date=June 10, 2022}} At the far end of the hall are two large murals by ornithologist and artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes.{{Cite news |last=Kimmelman |first=Michael |date=2000-11-24 |title=Art Review; Natural History, the Early Version |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/24/arts/art-review-natural-history-the-early-version.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}} The hall also has display cases devoted to large collections of warblers, owls, and raptors.

Conceived by museum ornithologist Frank Chapman, the Hall is named for Chapman's friend and amateur ornithologist Leonard C. Sanford, who partially funded the hall and also donated the entirety of his own bird specimen collection to the museum. Construction began on the hall's dioramas as early as 1902, and the dioramas opened in 1909. They were the first to be exhibited in the museum and are the oldest still on display.{{cite web |url=http://peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter-7-francis-lee-jaques-and-the-bird-halls |title=Painting Actuality: Chapter 7: Francis Lee Jaques and the American Museum of Natural History Bird Halls |date=November 28, 2011 |publisher=Peabody.yale.edu |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410063148/http://peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter-7-francis-lee-jaques-and-the-bird-halls |url-status=dead}} The hall was refurbished in 1962.{{Cite news |date=1962-10-30 |title=American Museum to Have a New Bird Hall in Time for World's Fair |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/10/30/archives/american-museum-to-have-a-new-bird-hall-in-time-for-worlds-fair.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}}

Although Chapman was not the first to create museum dioramas, he was the first to bring artists into the field with him in the hopes of capturing a specific location at a specific time. In contrast to the dramatic scenes that Akeley created for the African Hall, Chapman wanted his dioramas to evoke a scientific realism, ultimately serving as a historical record of habitats and species facing a high probability of extinction. Each of Chapman's dioramas depicted a species, their nests, and {{cvt|4|ft}} of the surrounding habitat in each direction.{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=2003-02-03 |title=Rescuing the Diorama From the Fate of the Dodo; In New Appreciation of Old Technique, Museum Remakes the Sea on Dry Land |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/03/nyregion/rescuing-diorama-fate-dodo-new-appreciation-old-technique-museum-remakes-sea-dry.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}}

The Hall of Birds of the World is on the south side of the second floor. The global diversity of bird species is exhibited in this hall. 12 dioramas showcase various ecosystems around the world and provide a sample of the varieties of birds that live there. Example dioramas include South Georgia featuring king penguins and skuas, the East African plains featuring secretarybirds and bustards, and the Australian outback featuring honeyeaters, cockatoos, and kookaburras.{{cite web |title=Birds of the World: Permanent Exhibit Halls |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=August 2, 2018 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/birds-of-the-world |access-date=June 10, 2022}}

The Whitney Memorial Wing, originally named after Harry Payne Whitney and comprising 750,000 birds, opened in 1939.{{Cite news |date=1939-06-16 |title=750,000 Birds Housed in Museum Wing |pages=3 |work=Star-Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/star-gazette-750000-birds-housed-in-mus/132484982/ |access-date=2023-09-27}} Later known as the Hall of Oceanic Birds, it was completed and dedicated in 1953.{{Cite news |date=1953-01-30 |title=C. V. Whitney Dedicates Family Memorial |pages=32 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/newsday-nassau-edition-c-v-whitney-d/132484851/ |access-date=2023-09-27}}{{Cite news |date=1953-01-30 |title=Museum Dedicates Bird Habitat Hall; Opening of Last 4 Displays of 22 in the Whitney Memorial Ends Work of 25 Years |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1953/01/30/archives/museum-dedicates-bird-habitat-hall-opening-of-last-4-displays-of-22.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} It was founded by Frank Chapman and Leonard C. Sanford, originally museum volunteers, who had gone forward with creation of a hall to feature birds of the Pacific islands. The hall was designed as a completely immersive collection of dioramas, including a circular display featuring birds-of-paradise.{{cite web |date=February 22, 1999 |title=American Museum of Natural History Research Library: American Museum of Natural History. Whitney Memorial Hall of Oceanic Birds. (amnhc_4000088) |url=https://data.library.amnh.org/archives-authorities/id/amnhc_4000088 |access-date=September 27, 2023 |website=data.library.amnh.org}} In 1998, the Butterfly Conservatory was installed inside the hall.{{Cite news|date=1998-12-13|title=Travel Advisory; It's Butterfly Weather On the Upper West Side|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/13/travel/travel-advisory-it-s-butterfly-weather-on-the-upper-west-side.html|access-date=2023-03-14|issn=0362-4331}}

The Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians is near the southeast corner of the third floor. It serves as an introduction to herpetology, with many exhibits detailing reptile evolution, anatomy, diversity, reproduction, and behavior. Notable exhibits include a Komodo dragon group, an American alligator, Lonesome George, the last Pinta Island tortoise, and poison dart frogs.{{cite web |title=Reptiles & Amphibians: Permanent Exhibit Halls |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=August 2, 2018 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/reptiles-amphibians |access-date=June 17, 2022}}

File:Komodo Dragon Diorama.jpg diorama featuring a group feeding on a wild boar carcass in the Hall of Reptiles and Amphibians.]]

In 1926, W. Douglas Burden, F.J. Defosse, and Emmett Reid Dunn collected specimens of the Komodo Dragon for the museum. Burden's chapter "The Komodo Dragon", in Look to the Wilderness, describes the expedition, the habitat, and the behavior of the dragon.{{cite book |last1=Burden |first1=W. Douglas |title=Look to the Wilderness |date=1956 |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |location=Boston |pages=169–193}} The hall opened in 1927{{Cite news |date=1927-06-15 |title=Reptilian Secrets Bared at Museum; Exhibit in Hall Just Opened to the Public Has New System to Teach Natural History |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/06/15/archives/reptilian-secrets-bared-at-museum-exhibit-in-hall-just-opened-to.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |issn=0362-4331}} and was rebuilt from 1969 to 1977 at a cost of $1.3 million.{{Cite news |last=Brody |first=Jane E. |date=1977-11-16 |title=Museum Provides a New Look for Lizards and Snakes |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/16/archives/museum-provides-a-new-look-for-lizards-and-snakes-museum-gives-home.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |issn=0362-4331}}

The Hall of Biodiversity is underneath the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall. It opened in May 1998. The hall primarily contains exhibits and objects highlighting the concept of biodiversity, the interactions between living organisms, and the negative impacts of extinction on biodiversity.{{Cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=1998-05-29 |title=Showing Why a Rain Forest Matters |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/29/arts/showing-why-a-rain-forest-matters.html |access-date=2022-06-15 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last=Shurstack |first=Mary |date=1998-05-28 |title=Hall of Biodiversity |pages=47 |work=The Journal News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103802206/hall-of-biodiversitymary-shurstack/ |access-date=2022-06-15}} The hall includes a {{cvt|2500|ft2|adj=on}} diorama depicting the Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve rainforest with over 160 animal and plant species.{{cite web |date=2018-08-01 |title=The Hall of Biodiversity: Abundance of Life on Earth |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/biodiversity |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=American Museum of Natural History}} The diorama shows the rainforest in three states: pristine, altered by human activity, and destroyed by human activity. Another attraction in the hall is "The Spectrum of Habitats", a video wall displaying footage of nine ecosystems. There is a "Transformation Wall", containing information and stories detailing changes to biodiversity, and a "Solutions Wall", containing suggestions on how to increase biodiversity.

File:Mixed Deciduous Forest, Hall of North American Forests, AMNH.JPG

The Hall of North American Forests is a one-story hall on the museum's first floor in between the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall and the Warburg Hall of New York State Environments. It contains ten dioramas depicting a range of forest types from across North America as well as several displays on forest conservation and tree health. The hall was constructed under the guidance of botanist Henry K. Svenson and opened in 1958.{{Cite news |last=Knox |first=Sanka |date=1958-05-14 |title=Museum Opening Hall of Forests; 10-Year Project Transplants North American Wilds to History Institution |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/05/14/archives/museum-opening-hall-of-forests-10year-project-transplants-north.html |access-date=2022-06-10 |issn=0362-4331}} Each diorama specifically lists both the location and exact time of year depicted.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/stream/general53amer/general53amer_djvu.txt |title=Full text of "General guide to the exhibition halls of the American Museum of Natural History" |work=archive.org |year=1911}} Trees and plants featured in the dioramas are constructed of a combination of art supplies and actual bark and other specimens collected in the field. The entrance to the hall features a cross section from the Mark Twain Tree, 1,400-year-old sequoia taken from the King's River grove on the west flank of the Sierra Mountains in 1891.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environmental-halls/hall-of-north-american-forests |title=Hall of North American Forests |work=AMNH |access-date=June 11, 2014 |archive-date=September 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905004237/https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environmental-halls/hall-of-north-american-forests |url-status=live}}

File:Juniper Forest, Hall of North American Forests, AMNH.JPG

File:Warburg Hall of New York State Environments.JPG

Warburg Hall of New York State Environments is a one-story hall on the museum's ground floor in between the Hall of North American Forests and the Grand Hall. Based on the town of Pine Plains in Dutchess County, New York, the hall gives a multi-faceted presentation of the eco-systems typical of New York.{{Cite news|date=1951-05-13|title=New Museum Hall to Open|pages=248|work=Daily News|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-new-museum-hall-to-open/132437169/|access-date=2023-09-26}} Aspects covered include soil types, seasonal changes, and the impact of both humans and nonhuman animals on the environment. It is named for the German-American philanthropist Felix M. Warburg and opened on May 14, 1951,{{Cite news|date=1951-05-15|title=Warburg Hall Dedicated at N.Y. Museum|pages=20|work=The Reporter Dispatch|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-dispatch-warburg-hall-dedic/132437216/|access-date=2023-09-26}} as the Warburg Memorial Hall of General Ecology.{{Cite news|last=Fowler|first=Glenn|date=1991-07-20|title=Albert E. Parr, Museum Director and Oceanographer, Dies at 90|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/20/obituaries/albert-e-parr-museum-director-and-oceanographer-dies-at-90.html|access-date=2023-09-26|issn=0362-4331}} It has changed little since and is now frequently regarded for its retro-modern styling.{{cite web |url=http://www.smithjam.com/mad-men-design-a-museum-exhibit/ |title=Mad men design a museum exhibit |work=Joseph Smith |access-date=June 11, 2014 |archive-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225091209/http://www.smithjam.com/mad-men-design-a-museum-exhibit/ |url-status=live}}

File:Blue Whale Nat'l Hist Museum.JPG

The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life is in the southeastern quadrant of the first floor, west of the Hall of Biodiversity. It focuses on marine biology, botany and marine conservation. The center of the hall contains a {{cvt|94|ft|m|adj=on}}-long blue whale model.{{cite web |date=2018-08-01 |title=Hall of Ocean Life |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean-life |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=American Museum of Natural History}} The upper level of the hall exhibits the vast array of ecosystems present in the ocean. Dioramas compare and contrast the life in these different settings including kelp forests, mangroves, coral reefs, the bathypelagic, among others. It attempts to show how vast and varied the oceans are while encouraging common themes throughout. The lower half of the hall consists of 15 large dioramas of larger marine organisms. It is on this level that the famous "Squid and the Whale" diorama sits, depicting a hypothetical fight between the two creatures.{{cite web |title=The Milstein Hall of Ocean Life |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environmental-halls/milstein-hall-of-ocean-life/sperm-whale-and-giant-squid/ |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=December 23, 2012 |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330085128/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/biodiversity-and-environmental-halls/milstein-hall-of-ocean-life/sperm-whale-and-giant-squid |url-status=live}} Other notable exhibits in this hall include the two-level Andros Coral Reef Diorama.{{cite book |author=United States |title=Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2002: Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, on H.R. 2500/S. 1215 ... for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2002, and for Other Purposes |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |series=S. hrg |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-16-066932-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nS0Gj-EqJogC&pg=PA402 |access-date=2022-06-13 |page=402}}{{cite web |title=Milstein Hall of Ocean Life |website=amnh.org |date=2008-12-08 |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean/01_dioramas/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208150245/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean/01_dioramas/ |archive-date=2008-12-08 |url-status=dead |access-date=2022-06-13}}

In 1910, museum president Henry F. Osborn proposed the construction of a large building in the museum's southeast courtyard to house a new Hall of Ocean Life in which "models and skeletons of whales" would be exhibited. The hall opened in 1924 and was renovated in 1962. In 1969, a renovation gave the hall a more explicit focus on oceanic megafauna, including the addition of a lifelike blue whale model to replace a popular steel and papier-mâché whale model that had hung in the Biology of Mammals hall. Richard Van Gelder oversaw the creation of the hall in its current incarnation.{{cite web |title=History of the Hall of Ocean Life |url=http://www-v1.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean/04_history/ |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106172418/http://www-v1.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/ocean/04_history/ |archive-date=January 6, 2013}} The hall was renovated once again in 2003, this time with environmentalism and conservation being the main focal points, and was renamed after developer Paul Milstein and AMNH board member Irma Milstein. The 2003 renovation included refurbishment of the famous blue whale, suspended high above the {{cvt|19,000|ft2|adj=on}} exhibit floor; updates to the 1930s and 1960s dioramas; and electronic displays.

The Stout Hall of Asian Peoples is a one-story hall on the museum's second floor in between the Hall of Asian Mammals and Birds of the World. It is named for Gardner D. Stout, a former president of the museum, and was primarily organized by Walter A. Fairservis, a longtime museum archaeologist. Opened in 1980, Stout Hall is the museum's largest anthropological hall and contains artifacts acquired by the museum between 1869 and the mid-1970s.{{cite journal |author=Christopher Swan |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/1113/111357.html |title=Hall of Asian People; Orienting the Americans |journal=Christian Science Monitor |date=November 13, 1980 |publisher=CSMonitor.com |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174243/http://www.csmonitor.com/1980/1113/111357.html |url-status=live}} Many famous expeditions sponsored by the museum are associated with the artifacts in the hall, including the Roy Chapman Andrews expeditions in Central Asia and the Vernay-Hopwood Chindwin expedition.{{cite web |url=http://www.bgc.bard.edu/images/content/1/4/14863.pdf |title=Confluences: An American Expedition to Northern Burma, 1935 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416210339/http://www.bgc.bard.edu/images/content/1/4/14863.pdf |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |work=AMNH |date=April 4, 2013 |access-date=January 22, 2018}}

Stout Hall has two sections: Ancient Eurasia, a small section devoted to the evolution of human civilization in Eurasia, and Traditional Asia, a much larger section containing cultural artifacts from across the Asian continent. The latter section is organized to geographically correspond with two major trade routes of the Silk Road. Like many of the museum's exhibition halls, the artifacts in Stout Hall are presented in a variety of ways including exhibits, miniature dioramas, and five full-scale dioramas. Notable exhibits in the Ancient Eurasian section include reproductions from the archaeological sites of Teshik-Tash and Çatalhöyük, as well as a full size replica of a Hammurabi Stele. The Traditional Asia section contains areas devoted to major Asian countries, such as Japan, China, Tibet, and India, while also including a vast array of smaller Asian tribes including the Ainu, Semai, and Yakut.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/human-origins-and-cultural-halls/gardner-d.-stout-hall-of-asian-peoples |title=Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples |publisher=Amnh.org |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=April 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418053655/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/human-origins-and-cultural-halls/gardner-d.-stout-hall-of-asian-peoples |url-status=live}}

File:Miniature of Isfahar.JPG|A forced perspective, miniature diorama of Isfahan

File:Yakut Shaman Diorama.JPG|A Yakut shaman performs a healing rite in this diorama

File:Costumes of Islamic Women.JPG|A range of costumes worn by women in Islamic Asia

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The Hall of African Peoples is behind Akeley Hall of African Mammals and underneath Sanford Hall of North American Birds. It is organized by the four major ecosystems found in Africa: River Valley, Grasslands, Forest-Woodland, and Desert. Each section presents artifacts and exhibits of the peoples native to the ecosystems throughout Africa. The hall contains three dioramas and notable exhibits include a large collection of spiritual costumes on display in the Forest-Woodland section. Uniting the sections of the hall is a multi-faceted comparison of African societies based on hunting and gathering, cultivation, and animal domestication. Each type of society is presented in a historical, political, spiritual, and ecological context. A small section of African diaspora spread by the slave trade is also included.{{cite web |title=Hall of African Peoples |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=2018-08-02 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/african-peoples |access-date=2022-06-15 |archive-date=April 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413125423/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/human-origins-and-cultural-halls/hall-of-african-peoples |url-status=live}} Tribes and civilizations featured include:

• River Valley: Ancient Egyptians, Nubians, Kuba, Lozi
• Grasslands: Pokot, Shilluk, Barawa
• Forest-Woodland: Yoruba, Kofyar, Mbuti
• Desert: Ait Atta, Tuareg

File:Zapotec Burial Urns.JPG

The Hall of Mexico and Central America is a one-story hall on the museum's second floor behind Birds of the World and before the Hall of South American Peoples. It presents archaeological artifacts from a broad range of pre-Columbian civilizations that once existed across Mesoamerica, including the Maya, Olmec, Zapotec, and Aztec. Because the great majority of the written records of these civilizations did not survive the Spanish conquest, the overarching aim of the hall is to piece together what it is possible to know about them from the artifacts alone.

The museum has displayed pre-Columbian artifacts since its opening, only a short time after the discovery of the civilizations by archaeologists, with its first hall dedicated to the subject opening in 1899.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientmex00amer |title=Ancient Mexico and Central America |work=Internet Archive |year=1970}} As the museum's collection grew, the hall underwent major renovations in 1944 and again in 1970 when it re-opened in its current form.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/reomexic00amer |title=The reopening of the Mexican and Central American hall, February 25, 1944, The American museum of natural history |work=Internet Archive |year=1944}}{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/about-us/history/history-1961-1990 |title=History 1961–1990 |work=AMNH |access-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-date=December 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226163916/http://www.amnh.org/about-us/history/history-1961-1990 |url-status=live}} Notable artifacts on display include the Kunz Axe and a full-scale replica of Tomb 104 from the Monte Albán archaeological site, originally displayed at the 1939 World's Fair.

The Hall of South American Peoples is a one-story hall on the northwestern corner of the second floor, next to the Hall of Mexico and Central America. The hall was first opened on the third floor in 1904, and exhibited archaeological objects, including mummies, from Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and the West Indies. In 1931, the hall was expanded and relocated to the second floor under the direction of curators Ronald Olson and W.C. Bennett. The new hall included a recreation of a Chilean copper mine, and later, a temporary hall titled the Men of the Montaña, which featured Peruvian cultural artifacts from the Cashibo, and Panoan peoples.{{Cite web |last=O' Dowd |first=Clare |date=August 28, 2017 |title=Hall of South American Peoples Biographical or Historical Note |url=https://data.library.amnh.org/archives-authorities/id/amnhc_4000054 |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=American Museum of Natural History Library}} In 1989, the Hall was renovated and reopened as a permanent exhibition, focusing on the technology and artistry of the ancient Andean and traditional Amazonian cultures, led by curators Craig Morris, Junius Bird, and Robert Carneiro.{{Cite journal |last=Urton |first=Gary |date=July 1992 |title=The Hall of South American Peoples, at AMNH |url=https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/mua.1992.16.2.46 |journal=Museum Anthropology |language=en |volume=16 |issue=2 |pages=46–48 |doi=10.1525/mua.1992.16.2.46 |issn=0892-8339|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Emma |date=2021-07-07 |title=Why the American Museum of Natural History Needs to Change |url=https://empirestatetribune.com/est/5/11/2021/the-road-to-reconciliation-za7a7 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Empire State Tribune |language=en-US}} The Hall contains roughly 2,300 objects from various ancient South American cultures, including the Moche, Chávin, Chancay, Paracas, Nazca, and Inca.{{Cite web |last=Carlisle |first=Anne |date=June 8, 2017 |title=Archaeological Method and The Hall of South American Peoples |url=https://www.bgc.bard.edu/research-forum/articles/355/archaeological-method-and-the-hall |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Bard Research Forum Blog}}{{Cite web |title=Hall of South American Peoples |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/south-american-peoples#:~:text=The%20Hall%20of%20South%20American%20Peoples%20features%20the%20art%2C%20tools,craftsmanship%20abound%20in%20this%20hall. |access-date=November 20, 2023 |website=American Museum of Natural History}} A number of the artifacts on display come from the Roosevelt Collections, which were collected by Theodore Roosevelt on expeditions to South America in the early 20th century and donated to the museum.

File:Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples.jpg in the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples]]

The Hall of Pacific Peoples is on the southwestern corner of the third floor, accessed through the Hall of Plains Indians. The cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead had founded the Hall of Pacific Peoples in 1971.{{Cite news |date=1984-11-26 |title=Margaret Mead Hall For American Museum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/26/arts/margaret-mead-hall-for-american-museum.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |issn=0362-4331}} From the time Mead began curatorial work on the hall in 1945, she conceived an exhibit environment that would emulate sights and sounds from the Pacific regions on display.{{Cite book |last=Losche |first=Diane |title=Sensible Objects: Colonialism, Museums and Material Culture |publisher=Berg |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-84520-323-8 |editor-last=Edwards |editor-first=Elizabeth |editor-link=Elizabeth Edwards (historian) |publication-place=New York |pages=223–244 |chapter=The Fate of the Senses in Ethnographic Modernity: The Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples at the American Museum of Natural History |editor-last2=Gosden |editor-first2=Chris |editor-last3=Phillips |editor-first3=Ruth |editor-link3=Ruth Phillips}} After Mead's death in 1978, the hall reopened in December 1984 as the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples.{{Cite news |last=Unger |first=Michael |date=1984-12-18 |title=Remembering Mead |pages=135 |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103259755/remembering-meadmichael-unger/ |access-date=2022-06-06}}{{Cite news |date=1984-12-14 |title=Margaret Mead Hall At American Museum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/14/arts/margaret-mead-hall-at-american-museum.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |issn=0362-4331}} The new hall, designed by Eugene Burgmann, maintained the blue-themed ocean and sky ambiance of the original hall. The hall was once again closed in 1997 and reopened in 2001 with an updated design that retained the geocultural "alcoves" first installed with the 1984 remodel.

File:Balinese wayang puppet display.jpg puppets collected by Mead and Bateson on display with photograph of puppet maker by Bateson.]]

The Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples contains artifacts from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Micronesia, Melanesia and other Pacific islands.{{cite web |date=August 2, 2018 |title=Hall of Pacific Peoples |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/pacific-peoples |access-date=June 6, 2022 |website=American Museum of Natural History}}{{Cite news |date=1984-12-21 |title=At New Mead Hall, a Bygone World |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/21/arts/at-new-mead-hall-a-bygone-world.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite journal |last=Mohan |first=Urmila |date=2021 |title=The Indonesian Alcove at the American Museum of Natural History: Art, Culture Areas, and the Mead-Bateson Bali Project |journal=Museum Anthropology |volume=44 |issue=1–2 |pages=11–23 |doi=10.1111/muan.12233|s2cid=244091621 }} Mead had collected 250 of the 1,500 items in the hall. Some of these were probably selected from the 3,284 items she collected for the American Museum of Natural History during fieldwork in New Guinea and other Pacific island locations, 1928–1939.{{Cite journal |last=Jacknis |first=Ira |date=2015 |title='America Is Our Field': Anthropological Regionalism at the American Museum of Natural History, 1895–1945 |journal=Museum & Society |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=52–71|doi=10.29311/mas.v13i1.317 |doi-access=free }} Others, such as the theatrical set from a puppet play in Bali, were chosen from among the approximately 600 items that Mead and her anthropologist husband Gregory Bateson had sent to the American Museum of Natural History while they were conducting fieldwork in Bali, 1936–1938. The exhibits in the Margaret Mead Hall of Pacific Peoples also include a fiberglass cast of an Easter Island moai statue and capes made of honeycreeper feathers.

File:Kwakwaka’wakw House Post.jpg

The Northwest Coast Hall is a one-story hall on the museum's ground floor behind the Grand Gallery and in between Warburg and Spitzer Halls. it is the museum's oldest hall, having been established in 1899 by anthropologist Franz Boas as the Jesup North Pacific Hall.{{cite web |last=Weaver |first=Shaye |title=A first look at AMNH's stunning new Northwest Coast Hall |website=Time Out New York |date=May 6, 2022 |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/a-first-look-at-amnhs-stunning-new-northwest-coast-hall-050622 |access-date=June 6, 2022}}{{cite web |last=Hajela |first=Deepti |title=Native Americans are reshaping the narrative at one of America's most famous museums |website=Associated Press |date=May 16, 2022 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2022/05/16/native-americans-museum-natural-history-northwest-coast/9790869002/ |access-date=June 6, 2022}} The hall now contains artifacts and exhibits of the tribes of the North Pacific Coast cultural region (Southern Alaska, Northern Washington, and a portion of British Columbia). Featured prominently in the hall are four "House Posts" from the Kwakwaka'wakw nation and murals by William S. Taylor depicting native life.{{cite web |url=http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/Databases/Encyclopedia/search.php?serial=T0050 |title=Encyclopedia Brunoniana – Taylor, Will S. |work=brown.edu |access-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224211052/https://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/Databases/Encyclopedia/search.php?serial=T0050 |url-status=live}} {{As of|2022}}, there are 9,000 items in total, including 78 totem poles, as well as a Haida canoe suspended from the ceiling (relocated from the Grand Gallery in 2020).{{cite web |last=Lederman |first=Marsha |date=2020-01-28 |title='Iconic' Indigenous canoe moving to Northwest Coast Hall at New York's Museum of Natural History |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/article-iconic-indigenous-canoe-moving-to-northwest-coast-hall-at-new-yorks/ |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=The Globe and Mail}}{{cite web |last=Vanasco |first=Jennifer |date=2020-02-03 |title=The AMNH's Great Canoe Moves For The First Time in 60 Years |url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/amnhs-great-canoe-moves-first-time-60-years |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=Gothamist}} The artifacts are accompanied by text in numerous Native American languages.

File:Nuxalk Masks.jpg

Artifacts in the hall originated from three main sources. The earliest of these was a gift of Haida artifacts collected by John Wesley Powell and donated by future trustee Heber R. Bishop in 1882. This was followed by the museum's purchase of two collections of Tlingit artifacts collected by Lt. George T. Emmons in 1888 and 1894.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/northwe10godd |title=Indians of the Northwest Coast |work=Internet Archive |year=1945}} The remainder of the hall's artifacts were collected during the famed Jesup North Pacific Expedition between 1897 and 1902.{{Cite web |url=https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/ma-30-17-0260-17-american-museum-of-natural-history.pdf |title=Sample Application MA-30-17-0260-17 Project Category: Collections Stewardship Funding Level: $25,001-$500,000 American Museum of Natural History |publisher=Museums for America |access-date=2022-06-06 |page=2}} Led by Boas and financed by museum president Morris Ketchum Jesup, the expedition was the first for the museum's Division of Anthropology and is now considered the "foremost expedition in American anthropology".{{Cite web |url=https://anthro.amnh.org/jesup_collection |title=Jesup North Pacific Expedition | Anthropology |website=anthro.amnh.org |access-date=March 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125125116/https://anthro.amnh.org/jesup_collection |url-status=live}} Many famous ethnologists took part, including George Hunt, who secured the Kwakwaka'wakw House Posts in the hall.{{cite web |url=http://library.amnh.org/finding_aids_Jesup/biographical_notes/index.html |title=AMNH Special Collections — Jesup North Pacific Exhibition |work=amnh.org |access-date=June 28, 2014 |archive-date=July 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714092149/http://library.amnh.org/finding_aids_Jesup/biographical_notes/index.html |url-status=dead}} Other tribes featured in the hall include Coastal Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, Tsimshian, and Nuxalk.{{cite web |title=Northwest Coast Hall |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=April 27, 2020 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/northwest-coast |access-date=June 6, 2022}}

At the time of its opening, the Northwest Coast Hall was one of four halls dedicated to the native peoples of United States and Canada. It was originally organized in two sections, the first being a general area pertaining to all peoples of the region and the second a specialized area divided by tribe. This was a point of contention for Boas who wanted all artifacts in the hall to be associated with the proper tribe (much like it is currently organized), eventually leading to the dissolution of Boas's relationship with the museum.{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=2006-11-14 |title=Canoe Goes Upriver, Without Its Paddlers |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/nyregion/14canoe.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118230806/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/14/nyregion/14canoe.html?fta=y&_r=0 |archive-date=November 18, 2017 |url-status=live}} In May 2022, the hall reopened after a five-year, $19 million renovation, with more than 1,000 artifacts on view. The new display includes work from contemporary artists such as Greg Colfax KlaWayHee and Robert Davidson.{{Cite news |last=Lubow |first=Arthur |date=2022-05-05 |title=Museum of Natural History's Renewed Hall Holds Treasures and Pain |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/arts/design/museum-natural-history-indigenous-art.html |access-date=2022-06-06 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518195027/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/arts/design/museum-natural-history-indigenous-art.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=Angeleti |first=Gabriella |title=$19m renovation of American Museum of Natural History's Indigenous collection hall unveiled |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events |date=May 18, 2022 |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/05/18/american-museum-natural-history-northwest-coast-hall-renovated |access-date=June 6, 2022}}

The Hall of Plains Indians is on the south side of the third floor, near the western end of the museum. This hall opened in February 1967.{{Cite news |last=Teltsch |first=Kathleen |date=1967-02-21 |title=Plains Indians Ride Again in Museum Here; Natural History Hall Shows Them at War and Play |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/02/21/archives/plains-indians-ride-again-in-museum-here-natural-history-hall-shows.html |access-date=2022-06-15 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |date=1967-02-22 |title=Museum Opens Hall on Plains Indians |pages=9 |work=The Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103801450/museum-opens-hall-on-plains-indians/ |access-date=2022-06-15}} The primary focus of this hall is the North American Great Plains peoples as they were at the middle of the 19th century, including depictions of Blackfeet (see also: Blackfoot Confederacy), Hidatsa, and Dakota cultures. Of particular interest is a Folsom point discovered in 1926 New Mexico, providing evidence of early American colonization of the Americas.

{{cite web |title=Hall of Plains Indians: Native American Peoples |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=2018-08-02 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/plains-indians |access-date=2022-06-15}}

The Hall of Eastern Woodlands Indians is next to the Hall of Plains Indians, on the south side of the third floor. This hall opened in May 1966.{{Cite news |date=1966-05-24 |title=New Indian Hall Opens At American Museum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/24/archives/new-indian-hall-opens-at-american-museum.html |access-date=2022-06-15 |issn=0362-4331}} It details the lives and technology of traditional Native American peoples in the woodland environments of eastern North America. These include Cree, Mohegan, Ojibwe, and Iroquois cultures. The exhibit features examples of indigenous basketry, pottery, farming techniques, food preparation, metal jewelry, musical instruments, and textiles. Other highlights include a model of a Menominee birchbark canoe and various traditional lodgings such as an Ojibwa domed wigwam, an Iroquois longhouse, a Creek council house, and other eastern woodland dwelling styles.{{Cite web |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/eastern-woodlands-indians |title=Hall of Eastern Woodlands Native Americans | AMNH |access-date=November 27, 2021 |archive-date=November 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127042813/https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/eastern-woodlands-indians |url-status=live}} {{As of|January 2024}}, the Hall of Eastern Woodlands Indians, along with the Hall of the Plains Indians, is closed to ensure compliance with new NAGPRA regulations.{{cite web | title=A famed NYC museum is closing 2 Native American halls, and others have taken similar steps | website=CBS News | date=January 27, 2024 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/museum-of-natural-history-closes-native-american-halls-harvard/ | access-date=January 28, 2024}}

{{Main|Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins}}

File:Homo erectus diorama at the Hall of Human Origins at AMNH.jpg diorama in the Hall of Human Origins]]The Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins, formerly The Hall of Human Biology and Evolution, is on the south side of the first floor, near the western end of the museum. It opened under its current name on February 10, 2007.{{cite web |title=Timeline: The History of the American Museum of Natural History |url=http://www.amnh.org/museum/history/index4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090310030550/http://www.amnh.org/museum/history/index4.html |archive-date=March 10, 2009 |access-date=March 3, 2009}} When it first opened in 1921, the hall was known as the "Hall of the Age of Man", the only major exhibition in the United States to present an in-depth investigation of human evolution.{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/107236a0 |last=Osborn |first=Henry Fairfield |author-link=Henry Fairfield Osborn |title=The Hall of the Age of Man in the American Museum |journal=Nature |volume=107 |pages=236–240 |date=April 21, 1921 |issue=2686 |bibcode=1921Natur.107..236O |doi-access=free}} The displays traced the story of Homo sapiens, illuminated the path of human evolution and examined the origins of human creativity.

Many of the displays from the original hall can still be viewed in the present expanded format. These include life-size dioramas of human predecessors Australopithecus afarensis, Homo ergaster, Neanderthal, and Cro-Magnon, showing each species demonstrating the behaviors and capabilities that scientists believe they were capable of. Also displayed are full-sized casts of important fossils, including the 3.2-million-year-old Lucy skeleton and the 1.7-million-year-old Turkana Boy, and Homo erectus specimens including a cast of Peking Man.{{cite web |title=Hall of Human Origins: Six Million Years of Evolution |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=2018-08-02 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/human-origins |access-date=2022-06-15}} The hall also features replicas of ice age art found in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. The limestone carvings of horses were made nearly 26,000 years ago and are considered to represent some of the earliest artistic expression of humans.{{cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |author-link=John Noble Wilford |title=Meet the Relatives. They're Full of Surprises |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 9, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/arts/design/09orig.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-date=April 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402094653/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/arts/design/09orig.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}}

File:Ahnighito AMNH, 34 tons meteorite.jpg

File:Willamette Meteorite AMNH.jpg]]

The Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites is on the southwest corner of the first floor. It contains some of the finest specimens in the world including Ahnighito, a section of the 200-ton Cape York meteorite which was first made known to non-Inuit cultures on their investigation of Meteorite Island, Greenland. Its great weight, 34 tons, makes it the largest displayed in the Northern Hemisphere.{{cite web |title=The AMNH Meteorites Collection |url=http://research.amnh.org/eps/collections/meteorites |access-date=March 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228151228/http://research.amnh.org/eps/collections/meteorites |archive-date=February 28, 2009 |url-status=live}} It has support by columns that extend through the floor and into the bedrock below the museum.{{cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |author-link=John Noble Wilford |title=New Hall for Meteorites Old Beyond Imagining |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 19, 2003 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/arts/design/19METE.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=March 4, 2009 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524175252/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/arts/design/19METE.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}}

The hall also contains extra-solar nanodiamonds (diamonds with dimensions on the nanometer level) more than 5 billion years old. These were extracted from a meteorite sample through chemical means, and they are so small that a quadrillion of these fit into a volume smaller than a cubic centimeter.{{cite web |title=Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/earth-and-planetary-sciences-halls/arthur-ross-hall-of-meteorites |access-date=July 15, 2013 |archive-date=June 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623063622/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/earth-and-planetary-sciences-halls/arthur-ross-hall-of-meteorites |url-status=live}}

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{{Main|Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals}}

The Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals (formerly the Harry Frank Guggenheim Hall of Gems and Minerals) is on the first floor, north of the Ross Hall of Meteorites. It houses thousands of rare gems, minerals specimens and pieces of jewelry. The halls closed in 2017 to undergo a $32 million redesign by Ralph Appelbaum Associates and reopened to the general public in June 2021.{{Cite news |title=Some Famous Gems Get a New Setting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/fashion/jewelry-gems-american-museum-of-natural-history.html |last=Dukes |first=Tanya |date=May 23, 2021 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709234613/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/23/fashion/jewelry-gems-american-museum-of-natural-history.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite news |title=New Home for Gems and Minerals at the Museum of Natural History |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/arts/design/american-museum-of-natural-history-gem-mineral-halls.html |last=Roberts |first=Sam |date=October 17, 2017 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111215621/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/16/arts/design/american-museum-of-natural-history-gem-mineral-halls.html |url-status=live}} The redesigned exhibits adopt newer philosophies in exhibit design, including a focus on storytelling, interactivity, and connecting ideas across disciplines. The halls explore a range of topics, including the diversification of mineral species over the course of Earth's history, plate tectonics, and the stories of specific gems.{{Cite news |title=A New York Museum Staple Gets a New Glimmer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/arts/museum-of-natural-history-minerals-gems-halls.html |last=Zimmerman |first=Eileen |date=May 19, 2021 |access-date=July 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710001406/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/arts/museum-of-natural-history-minerals-gems-halls.html |url-status=live}}

The halls display rare samples chosen from among the more than 100,000 pieces in the museum's collection including the Star of India, the Patricia Emerald, and the DeLong Star Ruby.{{Cite web |title=Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/gems-minerals |url-status=live |access-date=July 9, 2021 |website=American Museum of Natural History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101023103/https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/gems-minerals |archive-date=November 1, 2020}}

File:Assorted SEP-2-09 SEP-6-09 082.JPG|Assorted faceted and polished minerals

File:Minerals.JPG| Labradorite specimen

File:Hallofminerals.JPG| Quartz var. agate geode

File:Hallofminerals2.JPG| Microcline specimen

File:Hallofminerals3.JPG| Quartz var. amethyst geode

The David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth is on the first floor at the northeast corner of the museum. Opened in 1999, it is a permanent hall devoted to the history of Earth, from accretion to the origin of life and contemporary human impacts on the planet. The hall was designed to answer five key questions: "How has earth evolved? Why are there ocean basins, continents and mountains? How do scientists read rocks? What causes climate and climate change? Why is earth habitable?"{{Cite news |last=Parks |first=Steve |date=1999-06-11 |title=Journey to the Center of the Earth |pages=115, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103695698/ 118] |work=Newsday |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103695676/journey-to-the-center-of-the/ |access-date=2022-06-13}}{{Cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=1999-06-11 |title=Shaping Restless Planet Earth |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/11/arts/shaping-restless-planet-earth.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} The hall features rocks and other objects collected over 28 expeditions; the oldest rock is 4.3 billion years old, while the youngest was collected from a volcano on the day that it solidified. There is also a 30-seat granite amphitheater, with a globe, at the center of the hall.

Several sections also discuss the studies of Earth systems, including geology, glaciology, atmospheric sciences, and volcanology. The exhibit has several large, touchable rock specimens. The hall features striking samples of banded iron and deformed conglomerate rocks, as well as granites, sandstones, lavas, and three black smokers. The north section of the hall, which deals primarily with plate tectonics, is arranged to mimic the Earth's structure, with the core and mantle at the center and crustal features on the perimeter.{{cite web |date=2018-08-02 |title=Hall of Planet Earth |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/planet-earth |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=American Museum of Natural History}}

File:Tyrannosaurus rex at the American Museum of Natural History.jpg

File:Styracosaurus albertensis skull 02.jpg]]

Most of the museum's collections of mammalian and dinosaur fossils remain hidden from public view and are kept in many repositories deep within the museum complex.{{cite web |date=2012-11-02 |title=Building 3A Project |url=https://www.amnh.org/research/paleontology/collections/fossil-mammals/building-3a-project |access-date=2022-06-13 |website=American Museum of Natural History}} The most significant storage facility among these is the ten-story Childs Frick Building, which started construction in 1969{{Cite news |last=Webster |first=Bayard |date=1969-11-09 |title=History Museum Begins Frick Wing; Building: Wili House a Major Collection of Fossils |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/11/09/archives/history-museum-begins-frick-wing-building-wili-house-a-major.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} and was completed in 1973. When the Frick Building was completed, the museum's collection of fossilized mammals and dinosaurs was the world's largest such collection, weighing {{cvt|600|ST|LT t}}. The Frick Building's top three floors contain laboratories and offices.{{Cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Walter |date=1975-04-09 |title=Natural History Museum Builds A Wing for 600 Tons of Fossils |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/09/archives/natural-history-museum-builds-a-wing-for-600-tons-of-fossils.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}}

Other areas of the museum contain repositories of life from the past. The Whale Bone Storage Room is a cavernous space in which powerful winches come down from the ceiling to move the giant fossil bones about. The museum attic upstairs includes even more storage facilities, such as the Elephant Room, while the tusk vault and boar vault are downstairs from the attic.{{sfn|Preston|1986|pp=119–120}}

The great fossil collections that are open to public view occupy the entire fourth floor of the museum. The fourth floor exhibits are accessed by the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Orientation Center, which opened in 1996. On the 77th Street side of the museum the visitor begins in the Orientation Center and follows a carefully marked path, which takes the visitor along an evolutionary tree of life. As the tree "branches" the visitor is presented with the familial relationships among vertebrates, called cladograms. A video projection on the museum's fourth floor introduces visitors to the concept of the cladogram.{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls Orientation Center |website=American Museum of Natural History |date=August 2, 2018 |url=https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/orientation-center |access-date=June 17, 2022}}

Many of the fossils on display represent unique and historic pieces that were collected during the museum's golden era of worldwide expeditions (1880s–1930s). On a smaller scale, expeditions continue into the present and have resulted in additions to the collections from Vietnam, Madagascar, South America, and central and eastern Africa.

The first dinosaur hall in the museum opened in 1905. The 4th floor includes the following halls:{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/fossil-halls |website=AMNH |access-date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=September 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905060809/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/fossil-halls/ |url-status=live}}

• Hall of Vertebrate Origins
• Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs (recognized by their grasping hand, long mobile neck, and the downward/forward position of the pubis bone, they are forerunners of the modern bird){{cite news |last=Considine |first=J. D. |title=Dinosaurs that flocked together |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=April 12, 2005 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/dinosaurs-that-flocked-together/article4116680/ |access-date=July 15, 2013 |location=Toronto |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018213057/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/dinosaurs-that-flocked-together/article4116680/ |url-status=live}}
• Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs (defined for a pubic bone that points toward the back)
• Hall of Primitive Mammals
• Hall of Advanced Mammals

The dinosaur halls were temporarily closed for renovation starting in 1990.{{Cite news |last=Browne |first=Malcolm W. |date=1990-11-29 |title=Dinosaur Displays Closing for Renovation |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/29/arts/dinosaur-displays-closing-for-renovation.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |issn=0362-4331}} The first halls to reopen were the primitive-mammal and advanced-mammal halls, part of the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing of Mammals and Their Extinct Relatives, which opened in 1994.{{Cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=1994-05-13 |title=A Brand-New Hall for Some Very Old Mammals |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/13/arts/a-brand-new-hall-for-some-very-old-mammals.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |last=Coutro |first=Evonne |date=1995-06-03 |title=New Digs for Old Bones |pages=39, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103950257/ 40] |work=The Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/103950204/new-digs-for-old-bonesevonne-coutro/ |access-date=2022-06-17}} The Halls of Saurischian Dinosaurs and Ornithischian Dinosaurs reopened in 1995 as part of a $12 million expansion.{{cite news |last=Lescaze |first=Lee |date=1 June 1995 |title=Big lizards, rehabbed, at Natural History Museum |page=A12 |work=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|398450267}}}}{{Cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=1995-06-02 |title=Mesozoic Encore; The Dinosaurs Reappear In Top Form |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/02/arts/mesozoic-encore-the-dinosaurs-reappear-in-top-form.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}} The Hall of Vertebrate Origins opened in 1996.{{Cite news |last=Wilford |first=John Noble |date=1996-06-07 |title=The Backbone Of Natural History |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/arts/the-backbone-of-natural-history.html |access-date=2022-06-17 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Amnh fg08.jpg fossil skeletons]]

The fossils on display include:

• Tyrannosaurus rex: Composed almost entirely of real fossil bones, it is mounted in a horizontal stalking pose balanced on powerful legs. The specimen is actually composed of fossil bones from two T. rex skeletons discovered in Montana in 1902 and 1908 by famous dinosaur hunter Barnum Brown.{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/trex.php |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312055038/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/trex.php |archive-date=March 12, 2009 |url-status=dead}}
• Mammuthus: Larger than its relative the woolly mammoth, these fossils are from an animal that lived 11,000 years ago in Indiana.{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/mammuthus.php |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225201815/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/mammuthus.php |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=dead}}
• Apatosaurus or Brontosaurus: This giant specimen was discovered at the end of the 19th century. Although most of its fossil bones are original, the skull is not, since none was found on site. The skeleton is composed primarily of the specimen AMNH 460, as well as specimens AMNH 222, AMNH 339, AMNH 592, and casts of the Brontosaurus excelsus holotype YPM 1980.Osborn, H. F. (1898). Models of extinct vertebrates. Science, New Series, 7(192): 841–845.Tschopp, E., Mateus, O., & Benson, R. B. (2015). A specimen-level phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of Diplodocidae (Dinosauria, Sauropoda). PeerJ, 3, e857. It was only many years later that the first Apatosaurus skull was discovered, and so a plaster cast of that skull was made and placed on the museum's mount. A Camarasaurus skull had been used mistakenly until a correct skull was found.{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/apatosaurus.php |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325011628/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/apatosaurus.php |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |url-status=dead}} It is not entirely certain whether this specimen is a Brontosaurus or an Apatosaurus, and therefore it is considered an "unidentified apatosaurine", as it could also potentially be its own genus and species.
• Brontops: Extinct mammal distantly related to the horse and rhinoceros. It lived 35 million years ago in what is now South Dakota. It is noted for its magnificent and unusual pair of horns.{{cite web |title=Fossil Halls |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/brontops.php |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204083040/http://amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/vertebrate/specimens/brontops.php |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |url-status=dead}}
• A skeleton of Edmontosaurus annectens, a large herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur. The specimen is an example of a "mummified" dinosaur fossil in which the soft tissue and skin impressions were imbedded in the surrounding rock. The specimen is mounted as it was found, lying on its side with its legs drawn up and head drawn backwards.{{cite web |title=Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs |url=http://www.amnh.org/join-support/naming-opportunities/name-a-fossil/hall-of-ornithischian-dinosaurs |website=AMNH |access-date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=June 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630033958/http://www.amnh.org/join-support/naming-opportunities/name-a-fossil/hall-of-ornithischian-dinosaurs |url-status=dead}}
• On September 26, 2007, an 80-million-year-old, {{cvt|2|ft|cm|adj=on}} diameter fossil of an ammonite, which is composed entirely of the gemstone ammolite, made its debut at the museum. Neil Landman, curator of fossil invertebrates, explained that ammonites (shelled cephalopod mollusks in the subclass Ammonoidea) became extinct 66 million years ago, in the same extinction event that killed the dinosaurs. Korite International donated the fossil after its discovery in Alberta, Canada.{{cite press release | title=Iridescent Ammonite Goes On Display At The Museum | website=American Museum of Natural History | date=February 20, 2014 | url=https://www.amnh.org/research/science-news/2007/iridescent-ammonite-goes-on-display-at-the-museum | access-date=September 26, 2023}}
• One skeleton of an Allosaurus scavenging from a Brontosaurus corpse based on fossils found at Bone Cabin Quarry preserving large bite marks on Apatosaurine vertebrae.Osborn, H. F., & Granger, W. (1904). Manus, sacrum, and caudals of Sauropoda. Bulletin of the AMNH; v. 20, article 14.{{cite web |title=Allosaurus |url=http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/fossil-halls/hall-of-saurischian-dinosaurs/allosaurus |website=AMNH |access-date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=September 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911100247/http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/fossil-halls/hall-of-saurischian-dinosaurs/allosaurus |url-status=live}}Osborn, H. F. (1901). [https://books.google.com/books?id=6EAbAAAAYAAJ&dq=bone+cabin+quarry&pg=PA197 Fore and hind limbs of Sauropoda from the Bone Cabin Quarry] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407000139/https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=6EAbAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA197&dq=bone+cabin+quarry&ots=A608b7x7g6&sig=Q4tZ4UlIBVmVZPkJgzWxxCBIOIY |date=April 7, 2022 }} (Vol. 3).
• The only known skull of Andrewsarchus mongoliensis.{{cite web |title=Andrewsarchus, "Superb Skull of a Gigantic Beast" |url=http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/on-exhibit-posts/andrewsarchus-superb-skull-of-a-gigantic-beast |website=AMNH |access-date=September 6, 2016 |archive-date=August 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824163511/http://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/on-exhibit-posts/andrewsarchus-superb-skull-of-a-gigantic-beast |url-status=live}}
• A display of various species of ground sloths including Megalocnus rodens, Scelidotherium cuvieri, Megalonyx wheatleyi and Glossotherium robustus

File: Ground sloths.jpg (from left) Megalocnus rodens, Scelidotherium cuvieri, Megalonyx wheatleyi, Glossotherium robustus]]

A Triceratops and a Stegosaurus are also both on display, among many other specimens.

Besides the fossils in museum display, many specimens are stored in the collections available for scientists. Those include important specimens such as complete diplodocid skull,Tschopp, E., Mateus O., & Norell M. (2018). Complex Overlapping Joints between Facial Bones Allowing Limited Anterior Sliding Movements of the Snout in Diplodocid Sauropods. American Museum NovitatesAmerican Museum Novitates. 1 – 16. tyrannosaurid teeth, sauropod vertebrae, and many holotypes.

File:Amnh fg09.jpg

{{main|Rose Center for Earth and Space}}

The Hayden Planetarium, connected to the museum, is now part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space on the north side of the museum. The original Hayden Planetarium was founded in 1933 with a donation by philanthropist Charles Hayden, and it opened in 1935.{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher |title=A Remnant of the 1930s, and Its Sky, Will Fall |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 16, 1996 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/18/realestate/a-remnant-of-the-1930-s-and-its-sky-will-fall.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=March 18, 2009 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524164920/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/18/realestate/a-remnant-of-the-1930-s-and-its-sky-will-fall.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}} The AMNH announced the modern Rose Center for Earth and Space in early 1995, and demolition began the same year.{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=1995-11-22 |title=Its Stars Eclipsed, Hayden Is Cleared for Demolition |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/22/nyregion/its-stars-eclipsed-hayden-is-cleared-for-demolition.html |access-date=2022-06-13 |issn=0362-4331}}

The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space was completed in 2000 at a cost of $210 million. Designed by James Stewart Polshek, the new building consists of a six-story high glass cube enclosing an {{cvt|87|ft|m|adj=on}} illuminated sphere that appears to float, although it is actually supported by truss work. Polshek has referred to his work as a "cosmic cathedral".{{cite news |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Glancey |title=A cosmic cathedral on 81st Street |newspaper=The Guardian |date=May 8, 2000 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/may/08/artsfeatures1 |access-date=March 18, 2009 |location=London |archive-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528114726/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/may/08/artsfeatures1 |url-status=live}} The sphere is known as the Space Theater.{{cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Goldberger |date=January 17, 2000 |title=Stairway to the Stars |newspaper=The New Yorker |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2000/01/17/2000_01_17_072_TNY_LIBRY_000020017 |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717120017/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2000/01/17/2000_01_17_072_TNY_LIBRY_000020017 |archive-date=July 17, 2008}}

The facility encloses {{cvt|333500|sqft|m2}} of research, education, and exhibition space as well as the Hayden planetarium. Also in the facility is the Department of Astrophysics, the newest academic research department in the museum. Neil DeGrasse Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium. In addition, Polshek designed the {{cvt|1800|sqft|m2|adj=on}} Weston Pavilion, a {{cvt|43|ft|m|adj=on}} high transparent structure of "water white" glass along the museum's west facade. This structure, a small companion piece to the Rose Center, offers a new entry way to the museum as well as opening further exhibition space for astronomically related objects.{{cite web |author=Tyson, Neil deGrasse |title=Hayden Planetarium and Digital Universe |url=http://www.amnh.org/science/facilities/hayden.php |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=July 25, 2009 |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315062241/http://www.amnh.org/science/facilities/hayden.php |url-status=live}} The Heilbrun Cosmic Pathway is one of the most popular exhibits in the Rose Center.

Designed by Studio Gang and landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation opened in May 2023. The 230,000-square-foot addition includes six floors above ground, and one below. The Gilder Center welcomes visitors with a new, accessible entrance on Columbus Avenue that connects to central five-story atrium and creates more than 30 connections to the existing museum.{{Cite web |last=gazettebeckycoleman |date=2023-09-15 |title=Architect Jeanne Gang on soaring Gilder Center design |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/09/architect-jeanne-gang-on-soaring-gilder-center-design/ |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=Harvard Gazette |language=en-US}} The atrium's architecture is informed by natural processes like the movement of wind and water that shape geological landscapes.{{Cite web |author1=Pei-Ru Keh |date=2023-04-30 |title=Studio Gang's Richard Gilder Center brings organic tactility to New York City |url=https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/gilder-center-studio-gang-new-york-usa |access-date=2024-01-11 |website=wallpaper.com |language=en}} To achieve the continuous visual form, the atrium is constructed with shotcrete. The curvilinear façade contrasts with the earlier High Victorian Gothic, Richardson Romanesque, and Beaux Arts structures, but its Milford Pink granite cladding is the same stone used on the Museum's west side.{{cite web |last=Bernstein |first=Fred |date=May 1, 2023 |title=Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation opens in New York |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2023/05/studio-gang-gilder-center-science-education-innovation-opens-new-york/ |access-date=September 21, 2023 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper}}{{Cite web |last=M |first=Kathryn |date=2019-06-05 |title=Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History by Studio Gang Architects |url=https://www.dwell.com/article/gilder-center-american-museum-of-natural-history-studio-gang-architects-450c012f |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=Dwell}}

File:Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation - looking east.jpg

File:At American Museum of Natural History 2024 029.jpg

The Richard Gilder Center houses new exhibition and display areas devoted to insects, including an insectarium and butterfly vivarium, where visitors can walk among hundreds of live specimens as they flutter about in a lush tropical setting. It also includes a visible storage structure that houses and displays scientific specimens; an expanded research library; classrooms and education areas, and laboratories.{{Cite news |last1=Kimmelman |first1=Michael |last2=Fisher |first2=Peter |date=2023-04-25 |title=Wonder and Awe in Natural History's New Wing. Butterflies, Too. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/design/gilder-center-natural-history-museum.html |access-date=2024-01-02 |issn=0362-4331}} Another permanent fixture is an immersive and interactive video experience called "Invisible Worlds" that focuses on the vital, often hard-to-see connections that support life, such as the firing of brain neurons, the exchange of nutrients and water between tree roots, and the microscopic world of plankton in ocean ecosystems.{{cite news |last1=Sutton |first1=Benjamin |title=American Museum of Natural History's soaring, $465M new science center opens |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/amnh-gilder-center-tan/index.html |access-date=31 May 2023 |agency=CNN |date=31 May 2023}}

File:Leafcutter ants at the Gilder Center at AMNH.jpg colony in the Gilder Center Insectarium]]

This expansion was originally supposed to be north of the existing museum, occupying parts of Theodore Roosevelt Park. The expansion was relocated to the west side of the existing museum, and its footprint was reduced in size, due to opposition to construction in the park. The annex replaced three existing buildings along Columbus Avenue's east side.

{{Main|AMNH Exhibitions Lab}}

Founded in 1869, the AMNH Exhibitions Lab has since produced thousands of installations. The department is notable for its integration of new scientific research into immersive art and multimedia presentations. In addition to the famous dioramas at its home museum and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the lab has also produced international exhibitions and software such as the Digital Universe Atlas.{{cite web |title=AMNH Education Exhibition |url=http://rggs.amnh.org/pages/school_overview/amnh_education_exhibition |access-date=June 4, 2013 |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826141914/http://rggs.amnh.org/pages/school_overview/amnh_education_exhibition |url-status=dead}}

The exhibitions team currently consists of over sixty artists, writers, preparators, designers and programmers. The department is responsible for the creation of two to three exhibits per year. These extensive shows typically travel nationally to sister natural history museums. They have produced, among others, the first exhibits to discuss Darwinian evolution, human-induced climate change{{cite news |title=In the Hall of Biodiversity |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/01/opinion/in-the-hall-of-biodiversity.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 4, 2013 |date=June 1, 1998 |archive-date=November 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121125150304/http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/01/opinion/in-the-hall-of-biodiversity.html |url-status=live}} and the mesozoic mass extinction via asteroid.

File:Research library at the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation.jpg

The Research Library is open to staff and public visitors, and is on the fourth floor of the museum.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library |title=Research Library |publisher=Amnh.org |date=May 1, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=May 9, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509121055/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library |url-status=live}} The Library collects materials covering such subjects as mammalogy, earth and planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, anthropology, entomology, herpetology, ichthyology, paleontology, ethology, ornithology, mineralogy, invertebrates, systematics, ecology, oceanography, conchology, exploration and travel, history of science, museology, bibliography, genomics, and peripheral biological sciences. The collection has many retrospective materials, some going back to the 15th century, that are difficult to find elsewhere.{{cite web |title=AMNH Library – About the Library |url=http://library.amnh.org/about.html |access-date=March 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224202001/http://library.amnh.org/about.html |archive-date=February 24, 2009 |url-status=live}}

In its early years, the Library expanded its collection mostly through such gifts as John Clarkson Jay's conchological library,{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnRMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA378 |title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography |publisher=J.T. White |year=1896 |series=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the Men and Women who are Doing the Work and Moulding the Thought of the Present Time |page=378}}{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|ps=.|p=120}} Carson Brevoort's library on fishes and general zoology,{{cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=W.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dw-6AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA111 |title=Special Collections in Libraries in the United States |last2=Mudge |first2=I.G. |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1912 |series=Bulletin (United States. Bureau of Education) |pages=111–112}} Daniel Giraud Elliot's ornithological library, S. Lowell Elliot's collection of books and pamphlets on various subjects,{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|ps=.|pp=120–121}} Harry Edwards's entomological library,{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|ps=.|p=121}} the Hugh Jewett collection of voyages and travel, and Jules Marcou's geology collection.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KkNOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA464 |title=University Extension Bulletin |publisher=New York State Education Department |year=1901 |page=464 |issue=v. 33-39}} In the 1900s, the library continued to grow with donations from figures and organizations such as Egbert Viele, the American Ethnological Society, Joel Asaph Allen, Hermon Carey Bumpus, and Henry Fairfield Osborn.{{harvnb|Osborn|1911|ps=.|pp=121–122}}

The new Library was designed by the firm Roche-Dinkeloo in 1992. The space is {{cvt|55000|sqft}} and includes five different "conservation zones", including the 50-person reading room, public offices, and temperature- and humidity-controlled rooms.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/07/nyregion/handling-fragile-story-man-with-care-museum-natural-history-library-moves-its.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |first=Glenn |last=Collins |title=Handling the (Fragile) Story of Man With Care; Museum of Natural History Library Moves Its Million-Item Collection to a New Home |date=November 7, 1992 |access-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-date=November 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171117175518/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/07/nyregion/handling-fragile-story-man-with-care-museum-natural-history-library-moves-its.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}} Today, the Library's collections contain over 550,000 volumes of monographs, serials, pamphlets, reprints, microforms, and original illustrations, as well as film, photographic, archives and manuscripts, fine art, memorabilia and rare book collections.

Special collections include:

• Institutional Archives, Manuscripts, and Personal Papers: Includes archival documents, field notebooks, clippings and other documents relating to the museum, its scientists and staff, scientific expeditions and research, museum exhibitions, education, and general administration.{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/institutional-archives-manuscripts-and-personal-papers |title=Institutional Archives, Manuscripts, and Personal Papers |publisher=Amnh.org |access-date=May 12, 2014 |archive-date=May 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513031751/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/institutional-archives-manuscripts-and-personal-papers |url-status=live}}
• Art and Memorabilia Collection.[http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/art-and-memorabilia Art and Memorabilia] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708022712/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/art-and-memorabilia |date=July 8, 2017 }}- AMNH.org
• Moving Image Collection.[http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/moving-image-collection Moving Image Collection] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007052135/https://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/moving-image-collection/ |date=October 7, 2017 }}- AMNH.org
• Vertical Files: Relating to exhibitions, expeditions, and museum operations.[http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/vertical-files Vertical Files] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726193205/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/research-library/special-collections/collections/vertical-files |date=July 26, 2017 }}- AMNH.org

File:Matrix barcode AMNH PBI 00388325.png that uniquely identifies a specimen in the museum's entomology collection.]]

The museum has a scientific staff of more than 225, and sponsors over 120 special field expeditions each year. Many of the fossils on display represent unique and historic pieces that were collected during the museum's golden era of worldwide expeditions (1880s–1930s). Examples of some of these expeditions, financed in whole or part by the AMNH are: Jesup North Pacific Expedition, the Whitney South Seas Expedition, the Roosevelt–Rondon Scientific Expedition, the Crocker Land Expedition, and the expeditions to Madagascar and New Guinea by Richard Archbold. On a smaller scale, expeditions continue into the present. The museum also publishes several peer-reviewed journals, including the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.[http://library.amnh.org/scientific-publications AMNH Scientific Publications] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510170926/http://library.amnh.org/scientific-publications |date=May 10, 2013 }}, American Museum of Natural History, Retrieved January 11, 2009.

The AMNH operates a biological field station in Portal, Arizona, among the Chiricahua Mountains. The Southwestern Research Station was established in 1955, purchased with a grant from philanthropist David Rockefeller, and with entomologist Mont Cazier as its first director.{{Cite book |last=Ascarza |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_J2CQAAQBAJ&q=%22Southwestern+Research+Station%22+&pg=PT60 |title=Chiricahua Mountains: History and Nature |date=2014 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=9781625847355 |language=en |access-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223438/https://books.google.com/books?id=p_J2CQAAQBAJ&q=%22Southwestern+Research+Station%22+&pg=PT60 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |url-status=live}} The station, in a "biodiversity hotspot", is used by researchers and students, and offers occasional seminars to the public.{{Cite web |last=Tyler |first=Aubin |date=December 25, 2011 |title=In Arizona, a biodiversity hot spot goes beyond science |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2011/12/25/the-southwestern-research-station-delights-scientists-and-guest-naturalists-alike/esQcMaCZOS2zHIDUlnlR8I/story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303155253/https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2011/12/25/the-southwestern-research-station-delights-scientists-and-guest-naturalists-alike/esQcMaCZOS2zHIDUlnlR8I/story.html |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |access-date=March 11, 2019 |website=The Boston Globe}}

AMNH's education programs include outreach to schools in New York City by the Moveable Museum.{{cite web |url=http://woodsideherald.com/uploads/Woodside_6_25_10.pdf |title=Jimmy Van Bramer brings Moveable Museum to Queensbridge for Family Day |publisher=Woodside Herald |date=June 25, 2010 |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-date=June 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627211536/http://woodsideherald.com/uploads/Woodside_6_25_10.pdf |url-status=dead}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.edwize.org/the-moveable-museum |title=The Moveable Museum |publisher=Edwize.org |date=November 3, 2010 |access-date=December 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726021208/http://www.edwize.org/the-moveable-museum |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.amnh.org/about/AMNH_AR_2009.pdf |title=American Museum of Natural History 2009 Annual Report |publisher=The American Museum of Natural History |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130093757/http://www.amnh.org/about/AMNH_AR_2009.pdf |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |url-status=dead}}

{{cite web |url=http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/21/K225/newsandinfo/News/amnhvisit.htm |title=American Museum of Natural History Moveable Museum Program "Discovering the Universe" visits P.S. 225 |publisher=NYC Department of Education |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-date=April 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421050558/http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/21/K225/newsandinfo/News/amnhvisit.htm |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0NZzEQ3xno |title=Moveable Museums Make Trip to D.C. (video) |date=October 27, 2010 |publisher=AMNH Youtube Channel |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130014831/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0NZzEQ3xno |archive-date=November 30, 2010 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.nationallabday.org/resources/all?filter%5Bprovided_by%5D=American+Museum+of+Natural+History |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419024731/http://www.nationallabday.org/resources/all?filter%5Bprovided_by%5D=American+Museum+of+Natural+History |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 19, 2013 |title=Moveable Museum |publisher=National Lab Day |access-date=December 3, 2010}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.stuytown.com/#/events |title=Moveable Museum |publisher=Stuyvesant Town Events |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128054955/http://stuytown.com/ |archive-date=November 28, 2010 |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2008/10/at_staten_island_school_a_movi.html |title=At Staten Island School, a Moving Way to Learn |publisher=SILive.com |date=October 3, 2010 |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018213057/http://www.silive.com/northshore/index.ssf/2008/10/at_staten_island_school_a_movi.html |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.ed.gov/oese-news/dinosaurs-moveable-museums-and-science |title=Dinosaurs, Moveable Museums, and Science! |publisher=United States Department of Education |date=November 8, 2010 |access-date=December 3, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115074714/http://www.ed.gov/oese-news/dinosaurs-moveable-museums-and-science |archive-date=November 15, 2010}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.edalliance.org/index.php?src=news&submenu=ArtGalleriesUpcoming&srctype=detail&category=Early%20Childhood&refno=72 |title=American Museum Of Natural History Brings Dinosaurs "Exhibit-On-Wheels" To Local Preschoolers |publisher=Educational Alliance |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512010949/http://www.edalliance.org/index.php?src=news&submenu=ArtGalleriesUpcoming&srctype=detail&category=Early%20Childhood&refno=72 |archive-date=May 12, 2011 |url-status=dead}}
{{cite web |url=http://www.nyupatientlibrary.org/hassenfeld/news/6-30-08/amnh-moveable-museum-family-fun-day |title=AMNH Moveable at Family Fun Day |publisher=Family Health Resource Center & Patient Library |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315174741/http://www.nyupatientlibrary.org/hassenfeld/news/6-30-08/amnh-moveable-museum-family-fun-day |url-status=live}}
{{cite web |url=http://coloriumlaboratorium.com/m-o-n-h-moveable-museum |title=M.O.N.H. Moveable Museum |publisher=ColoriumLaboratorium |access-date=December 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511092219/http://coloriumlaboratorium.com/m-o-n-h-moveable-museum |archive-date=May 11, 2011 |url-status=dead}} The AMNH offers a wide variety of educational programs, camps, and classes for students from pre-K to post-graduate levels. The AMNH sponsors the Lang Science Program, a comprehensive 5th–12th grade research and science education program, and the Science Research Mentorship Program (SRMP), in which pairs of students conduct a full year of intensive original research with an AMNH scientist.{{Cite web |url=https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/grades-9-12 |title=Programs for Teens: Science Learning at the Museum | AMNH |access-date=February 28, 2018 |archive-date=November 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101092823/https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/grades-9-12 |url-status=live}} {{as of|2023}}, about 400,000 schoolchildren annually take field trips to the AMNH. Although most students visit for a day or less, since late 2023 the museum has also provided a weeklong educational program called Beyond Elementary Explorations in Science.{{cite web | last=Jorgensen | first=Jillian | title=Students spend entire week at the American Museum of Natural History | website=Spectrum News NY1 | date=December 18, 2023 | url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/education/2023/12/18/new-program-allows-students-to-spend-week-at-american-museum-of-natural-history | access-date=December 20, 2023}}

On October 23, 2006, the museum launched the Richard Gilder Graduate School, becoming the first American museum in the United States to award doctoral degrees in its own name.{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Switek |title=Richard Gilder Graduate School |work=Phenomena: A science salon hosted by National Geographic Magazine |date=November 5, 2007 |url=http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2007/11/05/richard-gilder-graduate-school/ |access-date=May 24, 2014 |archive-date=August 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816104727/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2007/11/05/richard-gilder-graduate-school/ |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |last=Arenson |first=Karen W. |date=2006-10-24 |title=Museum of Natural History Soon to Grant Degrees, Too |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/nyregion/24museum.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} The school is named for businessman Richard Gilder, who contributed $50 million toward the school.{{cite web |date=September 20, 2023 |title=American Museum of Natural History Receives $50 Million for Addition |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/american-museum-of-natural-history-receives-50-million-for-addition |access-date=September 27, 2023 |website=Philanthropy News Digest (PND)}} Accredited in 2009,{{cite web |url=http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2009/FEB/html/mus-first.html |title=First US Museum to Award Ph.D. Degree: Dean John Flynn Assumes Helm at Richard Gilder Graduate School at AMNH |publisher=Education Update Online |date=February 2009 |access-date=May 24, 2014 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305231337/http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2009/FEB/html/mus-first.html |url-status=live}} the school had 11 students enrolled in 2011, who work closely with curators and have access to the collections.{{cite news |first=Tamar |last=Lewin |title=The Critter People |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 22, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edlife/edl-24naturalhistory-t.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-date=February 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213021722/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/education/edlife/edl-24naturalhistory-t.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}} The first seven graduates were awarded their degrees in 2013.{{cite web |title=2013 Richard Gilder Graduate School Graduates |url=http://www.amnh.org/our-research/richard-gilder-graduate-school/news |work=Richard Gilder Graduate School |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=May 24, 2014 |archive-date=May 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140524071002/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/richard-gilder-graduate-school/news |url-status=live}} The AMNH offers a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Earth Science{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Master of Arts in Teaching Earth Science Residency |url=https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/mat |access-date=October 28, 2021 |website=American Museum of Natural History}}{{dead link|date=August 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and a PhD in Comparative Biology.{{cite web |title=AMNH Master of Arts in Teaching |url=http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/master-of-arts-in-teaching |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922201118/http://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/master-of-arts-in-teaching |archive-date=September 22, 2013 |access-date=October 1, 2013 |publisher=AMNH}}{{cite web |title=Richard Gilder Graduate School, School Overview |url=http://www.amnh.org/our-research/richard-gilder-graduate-school/school-overview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220751/http://www.amnh.org/our-research/richard-gilder-graduate-school/school-overview |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |access-date=October 1, 2013 |publisher=AMNH}}

The MAT Earth Science Residency program was launched in 2012 to address a critical shortage of qualified science teachers in New York state.{{Cite news |last=Quenqua |first=Douglas |date=2012-01-16 |title=Back to School, Not on a Campus but in a Beloved Museum |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/nyregion/american-museum-of-natural-history-will-groom-school-teachers.html |access-date=2023-09-27 |issn=0362-4331}} In 2015, the MAT program officially joined the Richard Gilder Graduate School, with the NYS Board of Regents authorizing the Gilder School to grant the MAT degree.{{cite web |date=December 8, 2021 |title=Demographics & Evaluation: Museum MAT Program |url=https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/master-arts-teaching/demographics-and-evaluation |access-date=September 27, 2023 |website=American Museum of Natural History}}

The museum's first three presidents were all cofounders. John David Wolfe served from 1869 until his death in 1872;{{harvnb|ps=.|Osborn|1911|p=21}} he was followed by Robert L. Stuart, who resigned in 1881.{{harvnb|ps=.|Osborn|1911|p=26}}{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=44|ps=.}} The third president, Morris K. Jesup, was president for over 25 years, serving until his death in 1908.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=78|ps=.}} Upon his death, Jesup bequeathed $1 million to the museum.{{Cite news |date=1908-01-29 |title=No Plan for Jesup Bequest; $1,000,000 for American Museum Will Be Used Mostly to Buy Specimens. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1908/01/29/archives/no-plan-for-jesup-bequest-1000000-for-american-museum-will-be-used.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}}

The fourth president, Henry Fairfield Osborn, appointed on the death of Jesup, consolidated the museum's expansion and developed it further. Under Osborn, the museum embraced a growing eugenics movement.{{Cite web |last=AMNH |date= |title=Museum Statement on Eugenics |url=https://www.amnh.org/about/eugenics-statement |access-date= |website=www.amnh.org}} Osborn's friend, noted eugenicist Madison Grant, a member of the museum's executive committee, was the author of the 1916 book, The Passing of the Great Race. He also was a funder and shaper of the 1921 Second International Congress of Eugenics, held at the museum.{{Cite web |last=AMNH |date= October 29, 2019|title=The American Museum of Natural History and How It Got That Way |url=https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/colin-davey |access-date= |website=The Gotham Center for New York City History}} Davenport presided also the 1932 Third International Eugenics Congress.{{Cite news |date=1932-08-21 |title=EUGENICS CONGRESS OPENS HERE TODAY; Scientists of Many Nations to Attend Sessions at the American Museum. OSBORN TO GIVE ADDRESS He Will Discuss "Birth Selection Versus Birth Control" -- Son of Darwin to Send Message. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/08/21/archives/eugenics-congress-opens-here-today-scientists-of-many-nations-to-at.html |access-date=2023-03-06 |issn=0362-4331}}

After Osborn resigned in 1933, F. Trubee Davison became the AMNH's fifth president.{{harvnb|Davey|2019|p=87|ps=.}}{{Cite news |date=1933-01-10 |title=Davison Is Named to Head Museum; Assistant Secretary of War Succeeds Osborn, Retiring After 25-Year Service |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1933/01/10/archives/davison-is-named-to-head-museum-rssistant-secretary-of-war-succeeds.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}} Davison stepped down in 1951, and Alexander M. White was elected as the museum's president.{{Cite news |date=1951-06-07 |title=Museum Change Made; A. M. White Now Is President of Natural History Institute |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/07/archives/museum-change-made-a-m-white-now-is-president-of-natural-history.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}} Gardner D. Stout then served as president from 1968 to 1975, when Robert Guestier Goelet was elected in his place.{{Cite news |date=1975-05-20 |title=American Museum Names Businessman To Head the Board |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/20/archives/american-museum-names-businessman-to-head-the-board.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}} Goelet served until 1987, when he was placed on the board of trustees. He was succeeded by George D. Langdon Jr., the first president in the museum's history to receive a salary; all previous presidents had served without pay.{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Susan Heller |date=1987-09-25 |title=Natural History Museum Panel Selects First Salaried President |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/25/nyregion/natural-history-museum-panel-selects-first-salaried-president.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}}

Ellen V. Futter became the museum's first female president in 1993.{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=1993-12-02 |title=Museum of Natural History Welcomes Its New President |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/02/nyregion/museum-of-natural-history-welcomes-its-new-president.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web |title=Timeline: The History of the American Museum of Natural History |url=http://www.amnh.org/about-us/history/history-1991-present |access-date=November 7, 2009 |archive-date=July 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730125039/http://www.amnh.org/about-us/history/history-1991-present |url-status=live}} Futter announced in June 2022 that she planned to step down when the Gilder Center opened in March 2023.{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=2022-06-08 |title=President of Museum of Natural History to Step Down After Nearly 30 Years |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/arts/design/museum-natural-history-ellen-futter.html |access-date=2022-06-08 |issn=0362-4331}} Sean M. Decatur was named as Futter's successor in December 2022 and became the first African American president of the museum on April 3, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=2022-12-06 |title=Natural History Museum Names College Leader as New Chief |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/arts/design/natural-history-museum-sean-decatur.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207224847/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/arts/design/natural-history-museum-sean-decatur.html |archive-date=2022-12-07 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}{{cite web | title=American Museum of Natural History Names New President | website=US News & World Report | date=December 6, 2022 | url=http://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-york/articles/2022-12-06/american-museum-of-natural-history-names-new-president | access-date=April 6, 2023}}

Famous names associated with the museum include the dinosaur-hunter of the Gobi Desert, Roy Chapman Andrews (one of the inspirations for Indiana Jones);{{sfn|Preston|1986|pp=97–98}} photographers Yvette Borup Andrews and George Gaylord Simpson; biologists Ernst Mayr and Stephen Jay Gould; pioneer cultural anthropologists Franz Boas and Margaret Mead; explorer and geographer Alexander H. Rice Jr.; and ornithologist Robert Cushman Murphy.

The museum is at 79th Street and Central Park West. There is a direct entrance into the museum from the New York City Subway's {{stn|81st Street–Museum of Natural History}} station, served by the {{NYCS trains|Eighth center local day}}.{{Cite NYC neighborhood map|Upper West Side}}

On a pedestal outside the museum's Columbus Avenue entrance is a stainless steel time capsule, which was created after a design competition that was won by Santiago Calatrava. The capsule was sealed at the beginning of 2000, to mark the beginning of the 3rd millennium. It takes the form of a folded saddle-shaped volume, symmetrical on multiple axes, that explores formal properties of folded spherical frames. Calatrava described it as "a flower". The capsule is to be opened in the year 3000.{{cite news |title=Design Is Selected for Times Capsule |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 2, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/02/arts/design-is-selected-for-times-capsule.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524154834/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/02/arts/design-is-selected-for-times-capsule.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live}}

The museum is in a {{cvt|17|acre|m2|adj=on}} city park known as Theodore Roosevelt Park that extends from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue, and from West 77th to 81st Streets and that contains park benches, gardens and lawns, and also a dog run.{{cite web |title=Theodore Roosevelt Park Highlights |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |date=June 26, 1939 |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M053/history |access-date=November 14, 2019 |archive-date=June 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620110549/http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/M053/history |url-status=live}} On the west side of the park, between 80th and 81st Streets near Columbus Avenue, is the Nobel Monument honoring Nobel Prize winners from the United States.{{cite book | last=Bogart | first=M.H. | title=The Politics of Urban Beauty: New York and Its Art Commission | publisher=University of Chicago Press | series=Emersion: Emergent Village Resources for Communities of Faith Series | year=2006 | isbn=978-0-226-06305-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rSUhZMP1MUYC&pg=PA227 | page=227}}{{cite web | title=Nobel Monument |publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation | date=October 14, 2003 | url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/theodore-roosevelt-park/monuments/1968 | access-date=July 12, 2023}}

In 2019, Hamid Dabashi, the Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, wrote an opinion piece in Al Jazeera criticizing a bronze statue of Theodore Roosevelt, depicting him on horseback above a nameless Native American and African American individual. Having visited the museum, Dabashi reflected on the juxtaposition of scientific progress and what he sees as the persistent legacy of racism in the United States. The statue of Theodore Roosevelt is seen by Dabashi as a symbol of racial hierarchy and the ongoing struggle to reconcile the nation's past with its present.{{Cite web |last=Dabashi |first=Hamid |title=A day at the racist museum |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2019/9/4/a-day-at-the-racist-museum |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} The statue would later be removed in 2022, as a consequence of discussions about racism aroused by the 2020 protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd.{{Cite web |last=Smart |first=Sara |last2=Reilly |first2=Liam |date=2022-01-21 |title=Theodore Roosevelt statue removed from NYC museum after sparking controversy |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/theodore-roosevelt-statue-removed-nyc-arts-trnd/index.html |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=CNN |language=en}}

A 2020 article by University of New Hampshire historian Julia Rodriguez contrasts the approaches respectively taken by the AMNH and the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, in terms of their human and cultural exhibits. While Rodriguez criticizes the AMNH's exhibits for their failure to acknowledge colonial histories, the Musée de l'Homme has made strides in decolonizing its displays. Rodriguez also posits that notably absent from such museums are exhibits dedicated to Northern European or New England cultures, suggesting a biased focus on "othering" non-Western societies while normalizing Western cultural norms.{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Julia E. |date=2020-01-10 |title=Decolonizing or Recolonizing? The (Mis)Representation of Humanity in Natural History Museums |url=https://histanthro.org/notes/decolonizing-or-recolonizing/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=History of Anthropology Review |language=English}}

In a June 2024 essay published in Indian online paper ThePrint, Stanford University history professor Priya Satia argues that the museum's Hall of Asian Peoples is problematic because it portrays Asian cultures as static and frozen in time.{{Cite web |last=Satia |first=Priya |date=2024-06-29 |title=America, your Natural History museum has a problem. 'Hall of Asian Peoples' is a hall of shame |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/america-your-natural-history-museum-has-a-problem-hall-of-asian-peoples-is-a-hall-of-shame/2152643/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}} Satia believes various misrepresentations can lead to misunderstandings and perpetuate harmful biases against Asian and Middle Eastern people. In the same essay, Satia also delves into parts of the museum's own history, such as its 1921 hosting of the Second International Eugenics Congress. Her essay was criticized by Samuel Abrams, who serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, as a researcher at NYU, and as a Professor of Politics at Sarah Lawrence College.{{Cite web |title=Samuel Abrams |url=https://www.sarahlawrence.edu/faculty/abrams-samuel.html |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=www.sarahlawrence.edu |language=en}} Abrams states that "Critiquing an outdated museum is fine, but nothing about Satia’s thread was constructive or helpful."{{Cite web |last=Abrams |first=Samuel |date=June 11, 2024 |title=The Wrong Way to Help Improve a Museum |url=https://www.aei.org/society-and-culture/the-wrong-way-to-help-improve-a-museum/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=American Enterprise Institute}}

The museum is featured in many works of art and popular culture, including:

• A large portion of the 2017 film Wonderstruck takes place in the museum, showing the museum in 1927 as well as 1977.{{cite news |last=Lytal |first=Cristy |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-crafts-wonderstruck-20171214-story.html |title='Wonderstruck' strikes a powerful chord for production designer Mark Friedberg |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122201522/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/la-en-mn-crafts-wonderstruck-20171214-story.html |archivedate=2018-01-22 |accessdate=2023-01-29 }}
• The museum in the film Night at the Museum (2006) is based on a 1993 book that was set at the AMNH (The Night at the Museum). The interior scenes were shot at a sound stage in Vancouver, British Columbia, but exterior shots of the museum's facade were done at the actual AMNH. AMNH officials have credited the movie with increasing the number of visitors during the holiday season in 2006 by almost 20 percent.{{cite news |last=Dominguez |first=Robert |author2=Cullen, Christopher |title='Night' Makes History Hot |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |date=January 4, 2007 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/night-history-hot-article-1.261604 |access-date=September 29, 2012 |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524101842/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/night-history-hot-article-1.261604 |url-status=live}} Its sequels, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), were also partially set in this museum.
• The main characters of the 2023 graphic novel Roaming visit the AMNH.
• The museum was the setting for the 1970 novel The Great Dinosaur Robbery by David Forrest, but was not featured in the film adaptation One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing, which was set in the Natural History Museum in London, England.
• As the "New York Museum of Natural History", the museum is a favorite setting in many Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child novels, including Relic (1995), Reliquary (1997), The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002), The Book of the Dead (2007), and Blue Labyrinth (2014). FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast plays a major role in all of these thrillers. Preston was manager of publications at the museum before embarking upon his fiction writing career.
• The museum has appeared repeatedly in the fiction of dark fantasy author Caitlín R. Kiernan, including appearances in her fifth novel Daughter of Hounds, her work on the DC/Vertigo comic book The Dreaming (#47, "Trinket"), and many of her short stories, including "Valentia" and "Onion" (both collected in To Charles Fort, With Love, 2005).
• The 2005 film The Squid and the Whale takes its name from the diorama of the giant squid and the sperm whale in the museum's Hall of Ocean Life. The diorama is shown in the film's final scene.
• The plot of the 1993 film We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story revolves around the museum, with all four dinosaurs finally reaching the AMNH at the end.
• In the 1955 Czechoslovak film, Journey to the Beginning of Time, (Czech: Cesta do pravěku, literally "Journey into prehistory") the four boys end their journey on a bench inside the AMNH's 77th St. entrance, beneath the exhibit of the long-boat, in which they'd had their adventure. While the story could be dismissed as a dream, one boy's journal has somehow suffered all the wear-and-tear of their journey through prehistoric eras. A dubbed and partly re-filmed US version of the film was released in 1966 under the title Journey to the Beginning of Time.
• The 1914 animated film Gertie the Dinosaur was set in the Museum.
• In the NBC sitcom Friends, Ross works in the museum from 1994 until he is fired in 1999. In the 1996 episode "The One Where Ross and Rachel...You Know", Ross and Rachel have sex in one of the exhibits, stunning a group of schoolchildren when they wake up the following morning.

{{clear}}

• List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
• List of most-visited museums in the United States
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 59th to 110th Streets
• Education in New York City
• Margaret Mead Film Festival
• Constantin Astori

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite report |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0889.pdf |title=American Museum of Natural History, Memorial Hall, Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Building |date=July 22, 1975 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|1975}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210519031012/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0889.pdf |archive-date=May 19, 2021 |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |last=Davey |first=Colin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNszEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA22 |title=The American Museum of Natural History and How It Got That Way: With a New Preface by the Author and a New Foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson |publisher=Fordham University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-8232-8707-9}}
• {{cite book |last=Macaulay-Lewis |first=Elizabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GwyjzQEACAAJ |title=Antiquity in Gotham: The Ancient Architecture of New York City |date=2021 |publisher=Fordham University Press |isbn=978-0-8232-9384-1 |pages=96–98 |oclc=1176326519 |access-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520130053/https://books.google.com/books?id=GwyjzQEACAAJ |url-status=live}}
• {{cite report |url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/6872/100116158.pdf |title=The New York State Theodore Roosevelt Memorial |date=January 19, 1936 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |ref={{harvid|American Museum of Natural History|1936}} |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603223344/https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/bitstream/handle/2246/6872/100116158.pdf |url-status=live }}
• {{cite book |author=Osborn |first=Henry Fairfield |title=The American Museum of Natural History: Its Origin, Its History, the Growth of Its Departments to December 31, 1909 |publisher=Irving Press |series="Curators' ed., 600 copies." |year=1911 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T989AAAAMAAJ}}
• {{cite book |title=Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History |last=Preston |first=Douglas |author-link=Douglas Preston |year=1986 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York City |isbn=0-312-10456-1}}
• {{Cite New York 1880|pages=182-189}}

{{commons category|American Museum of Natural History}}

• {{official website|http://www.amnh.org/}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060206130253/http://manhattan.about.com/od/artsandculture/a/nyhistorymuseum.htm American Museum of Natural History] at About.com (archived)
• [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/american-museum-of-natural-history American Museum of Natural History at Google Cultural Institute]
• [http://www.thecityreview.com/uws/cpw/amerhist.html Early history of the AMNH]

{{Upper West Side}}

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