The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is a natural history museum located in

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, and operated by the Chicago Academy of Sciences. The museum traces its history to the founding of the academy in 1857. After a century at a nearby location, the academy opened its present museum named for benefactor Peggy Notebaert in 1999 at the intersection of Fullerton Parkway and Cannon Drive in

Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...

. The institution focuses on the natural history of the Chicago region, and offers educational programs for children and adults. It is also known for its live

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

house, which is attached to a laboratory and program to study and enhance Chicago area butterfly populations.

History

The Chicago Academy of Sciences had previously been located at Lincoln Park's century-old

Matthew Laflin Matthew Laflin (December 16, 1803 – May 20, 1897) was an American manufacturer of gunpowder, businessman, philanthropist, and an early pioneer of Chicago, Illinois. Biography Early life and ancestors He was born on December 16, 1803,Cutt ...

Memorial Building. The academy was founded in 1857 by young prominent American naturalists, such as

Robert Kennicott Robert Kennicott (November 13, 1835 – May 13, 1866) was an American naturalist and herpetologist. Chronic illness kept Kennicott out of school as a child. Instead, Kennicott spent most of his time outdoors, collecting plants and animals. Hi ...

and

William Stimpson William Stimpson (February 14, 1832 – May 26, 1872) was a noted American scientist. He was interested particularly in marine biology. Stimpson became an important early contributor to the work of the Smithsonian Institution and later, direc ...

. It was Chicago's first museum dedicated to nature and science, and developed one of the finest natural history collections in the United States in the mid-19th century, but that collection was lost in the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871. The museum was rebuilt but lost its home again in the financial turmoil of the 1880s. The academy then built a museum building in Lincoln Park in 1898, which became the model for the

Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, several boat harbors, two botanic conservatories ...

's museum-in-the-parks program. The old museum attracted many visitors with its naturalistic

dioramas A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

of area ecological settings. After outgrowing the Laflin Building, a new home for the academy was constructed nearby, on the southeastern banks of the North Pond. Its old building is currently used for

Lincoln Park Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo, also known as Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens, is a zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America. It is also one of a few free admission zoos in the Unit ...

administration.

Exhibits and programs

The original series of long-term exhibitions and botanic recreations around the building – including Butterfly Haven, City Science house, Water Lab and Wilderness Walk habitat exhibits – were developed by a team of academy staff, led by Paul G. Heltne, Kevin Coffee, and Douglas Taron, and designed by Lee H. Skolnick Design + Architecture Partnership with Carol Naughton Associates The museum's exhibits today include displays about the ecological history of the Illinois region, a live butterfly house, and a green home demonstration. The butterfly house features more than 200 species of native and exotic butterflies. One of the museum's ongoing scientific efforts is the study, care, and breeding of native butterflies for species population support in the Chicago area. The museum also offers more than 100 educational programs in the natural sciences for adults and children.

Name

The museum building is named in honor of benefactor Peggy Notebaert, wife of then

Qwest Communications Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western and midwestern U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dako ...

chairman and chief executive officer

Richard Notebaert Richard C. Notebaert (born 1947 in Montreal, Canada) is the former Chairman and CEO of Qwest, Tellabs and Ameritech. He was credited for saving Qwest from bankruptcy, and making Ameritech the most successful "Baby Bell". Notebaert is a member o ...

. The building was designed by

Perkins and Will Perkins&Will is a global design practice founded in 1935. Since 1986, the group has been a subsidiary of Lebanon-based Dar Al-Handasah (Arabic: دار الهندسة). Phil Harrison has been the firm's CEO since 2006. History The firm was establ ...

.Lee Bey. "Notebaert Nature Museum is a harmonic convergence". ''Chicago Sun-Times''. October 24, 1999. 30.

References

External links

Official site

Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on Google Cultural Institute

{{DEFAULTSORT:Notebaert Nature Museum Museums in Chicago Natural history museums in Illinois 1857 establishments in Illinois

History

Exhibits and programs

Name

See also

References

External links