Like many Philadelphians, Wissahickon resident Michelle Ritondo first visited the Academy of Natural Sciences on a school field trip. The natural history institution, the oldest in America, quickly became her “favorite place on Earth,” she said.

It’s where she fell in love with animals, she said. She later channeled that interest into volunteering for organizations like Big Cat Rescue and the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society. The building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway was a common date spot for Ritondo and her husband early in their relationship. The couple used to visit the museum every month, attending the events like Mega-Bad Movie Night. As a nanny, it was a highly requested weekend activity among the kids.

“The Academy is part of who I am,” she said.

Ritondo recalled these memories at City Hall last week, where some city councilmembers hosted a rally opposing the impending closure of the Academy’s museum — which first opened to the public in 1828.

Drexel University officials announced on Sept. 1 that they would shut the museum’s doors on Sept. 30 — with its last day open to the public on Sept. 27 — and the Academy’s president, Scott Cooper, is stepping down. Antonio Merlo, president of Drexel University, and Suzanne Biemiller, chair of the Academy of Natural Sciences Board of Trustees, in a news release attributed the closure to operational costs and a drop in visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After examining a range of alternatives, Academy and Drexel leadership concluded that continuing to operate the museum in its current building and form would place increasing pressure on the resources required to safeguard the collections and sustain the research enterprise,” the release states.

The news has resulted in a public outcry, with museum supporters demonstrating outside the building, lining up for one last visit and forming the Save the Academy Coalition to oppose the closure. As of Monday, nearly 10,000 people have signed a petition on Action Work demanding that Drexel officials save the museum and collaborate with Philadelphians on an alternative solution.

Longtime Chestnut Hill resident, historian and curator Robert “Bob” McCracken Peck, who dedicated his career to the Academy, told the Local he felt “blindsided and heartbroken” by the news. He credits the institution for fueling his lifelong sense of wonder with the natural world.

“It was like a death in the family for me, because I’d spent 50 years of my life or more immersed in the Academy,” he said.

Last Thursday, city councilmembers Nina Ahmad and Jeffery Young introduced a resolution calling on City Council to conduct hearings about the closure. Councilmembers seek to establish a “public record of alternatives,” according to the resolution text.

“We have to understand how we got here and how to get out of here,” Ahmad said at the rally.

Peck worked among the Academy’s collections, which is one of the world’s largest repositories of natural specimens and contains more than 19 million biological specimens, fossils, archives and other scientific resources. The items are connected to figures like explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Thomas Jefferson and Ernest Hemingway. The Academy’s Library and Archives has more than 75,000 titles and rare volumes dating backs to the 1500s.

The collections, research and programming at the Academy serve as a reference point for the global scientific community, Academy officials said.

“The institution is really bigger than Drexel,” Peck said. “It’s a community institution, and millions of Philadelphians have learned what they know about the natural world through the Academy. Every year we get hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren who are inspired by what they learn there. This is a terrible loss to the city.”

Owen Taylor, co-founder of the Germantown-based seed company Truelove Seeds, said it’s a critical time for institutions like the Academy to preserve the natural world and remain available to the public. He and his partner have hosted workshops and exhibitions there, as well as helped curate the Academy’s collection of plants.

“It’s a place that people can engage with the sciences, especially in a time of climate change,” he said. “Everyone can experience science out here in the real world as we’re watching our world change.”

Museum closure

In 2011, the Academy became affiliated with Drexel University to relieve financial challenges and expand its educational programming. The museum reduced its opening hours to only the weekends last fall due to a post-pandemic decline in visitors and federal funding cuts.

Attorney David L. Cohen, who was chief of staff when Ed Rendell was mayor and is now involved in planning next steps for the Academy, told 6abc Action News that the number of annual museum visitors has decreased from more than 300,000 at its peak to fewer than 50,000, according to a 2025 survey.

A Drexel spokesperson told the Local that there are “no immediate plans” to sell the building and that it will continue to house the collections after the museum’s closure, though they didn’t specify how long. Drexel and Academy officials are working with offices of Gov. Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker, the spokesperson said. Shapiro designated Cohen, who’s also a former Comcast executive and former U.S. ambassador to Canada, to serve as a third-party facilitator.

“While important work remains, there is a shared commitment and growing momentum toward a durable path forward,” the spokesperson said.

Sentiments and solutions

Peck’s work at the institution began when he was in 10th grade at Chestnut Hill Academy, serving as a summer volunteer. He wore many hats there starting in 1976: assistant to the director, acting director, librarian, scientific publications editor, and curator of art and artifacts. The Academy created a fellow position for him, he said. Peck embarked on research expeditions in places like the Andes, the Amazon and Mongolia, and then showcased scientists’ research through lectures, exhibitions, documentaries, articles and books.

His notable achievements include co-authoring the 2012 book “A Glorious Enterprise,” which details the history of the Academy. His new book, “Travels on Edge: A Naturalist’s Notes from the Back of Beyond,” chronicles the expeditions of the Academy’s scientists.

Peck, who retired in 2025, now serves as a senior fellow emeritus and works at the Academy once a week.

Despite being aware of Drexel’s financial troubles, Peck said it never occurred to him that Drexel would close the museum entirely. He believes people would have come to its aid if given further notice, and hopes they still will.

Ahmad, Young and Councilmember Anthony Phillips shared those sentiments at the City Hall rally last week. They questioned the timing of the announcement and the fact that officials didn’t consult City Council.

Ahmad recommended some tentative solutions, including emergency capital grants and nominating the museum for the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. The latter would protect the 1876 building from significant alterations and demolition. Ahmad called on those in the government, philanthropic and corporate sectors to help keep the museum’s doors open.

“There’s money in Philadelphia,” she said.

Peck estimates that it would cost around $25 million to move the collection. The Academy has received money over the years from the U.S. National Science Foundation and other sources to house the collection, and support staff to maintain it. He is optimistic that the pressure from City Council and activists will encourage Drexel officials to keep the museum open or reestablish it somehow.

“We hold these collections in trust for the world. It’s not just for Drexel,” he said. “There’s a huge responsibility to care for them properly, [and] make them accessible to the scientific community and to the public.”

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.