Andrea Lowery, executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), at today’s press conference. (PAcast)
Usually, only state cabinet secretaries high in their office towers get a panoramic view of the Susquehanna River and mountains beyond.
That vista is about to be democratized, with a 16th-story observation deck added to the Pennsylvania State Archives tower as part of a $55 million transformation of the Pennsylvania State Museum.
“This project really will be providing that backbone and that support for the 21st century museum experience and creating a canvas wall to update half the exhibits in the museum,” said Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Executive Director Andrea Lowery at a Wednesday press conference announcing the plan.
The sweeping scope of the project – labeled the circa-1964 museum’s first non-incremental renovation – is expected to close the museum from August 2026 until early 2029.
Harrisburg-area officials see the project fitting within a downtown renaissance. For thousands of Capitol visitors streaming across the street to visit a revitalized museum, “what an amazing synergy that will have,” said state Sen. Patty Kim.
State Rep. Nate Davidson shared that his phone background photo shows his daughter mimicking the “rawr” of a museum bear.
“It’s truly a special place for me and my family,” he said.
State government and its host city sometimes diverge in their priorities, Davidson added, but the museum project represents “an important moment” where the two intersect on “a shared dedication to the success of downtown Harrisburg.”
State Museum of PA 3rd Street lobby rendering (PAcast)
The renovation spans exhibits, HVAC, artifact storage, visitor accommodations, and much-needed elevator upgrades for a building that welcomes up to 100,000 visitors a year, about one-third of them school kids.
The plan emerged from the convergence of stakeholder engagement, surveys, a comprehensive plan on better serving the modern public, and a study on opportunities for reusing the vacated Pennsylvania State Archives tower.
Funding comes from a state Department of General Services 20-year bond issue. Previous capital funding was enough to upgrade the building’s envelope, accessibility, and safety code issues, but not the exhibits meant to tell the comprehensive story of Pennsylvania, said Lowery.
The new project upgrades both the museum experience and the building, said DGS Deputy Secretary for Capital Programs Greg Kirk.
“Ultimately, the project is about aligning a historically significant building with modern construction’s best practices, creating a safe, flexible, and efficient space that supports the museum’s mission for years to come,” he said.
State Museum of PA fifth floor terrace with Capitol view rendering (PAcast)
Pennsylvania’s midcentury modern museum has long hosted field trips and families exploring the state’s natural and historical landscape. Nearly half of the museum’s exhibits will be “reimagined” in stories, immersive displays, and interactive experiences, said Lowery.
But, she assured, “Mammal Hall, completely beloved, will remain the same.”
The project, designed by VITETTA, a DRG Architects company, Lemoyne, and Annum Architects, Boston, will include:
- Welcome center and free introductory exhibit on Pennsylvania’s regions and identities.
- Redesigned Curiosity Corner for children ages infant to 6.
- New museum stores, including a “made in PA” shop showcasing Pennsylvania artisans.
- Two 15-passenger elevators.
- Climate-controlled storage for a growing collection, including space rededicated to sensitive textiles and metal artifacts in the empty Pennsylvania State Archives, vacated after construction of the new archives on Sixth Street, Harrisburg, in 2023. The previous layout crammed documents too close to the ceiling for fire suppression, Lowery said, but the building will now be made suitable for artifacts storage with installation of a fire suppression system, humidity controls, and insulation.
- New gallery for traveling exhibits and artifact loans.
- Fifth-floor event venue with a terrace overlooking the Capitol grounds, downtown Harrisburg, and the Susquehanna River. Lowery called it “premier event space” that will, in tandem with increased visitation, generate revenue for PHMC.
Contractor bids will be awarded this winter, and the first construction phase is slated to begin in the tower in spring 2026. The museum will remain open through July 2026 for a U.S. sesquicentennial exhibit, including a lock of George Washington’s hair and a covered wagon from the 1976 Bicentennial Wagon Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania.
The “marquee experience” of the tower’s observation floor, with new windows open to all directions, will attract visitors, said Lowery. The view will introduce multidisciplinary educational opportunities, including “the importance of waterways in Pennsylvania, the need to navigate the mountains as they expanded west, looking out to the city to talk about cities and planning within Pennsylvania, and looking back to the Capitol and having conversations about the framework of government and Pennsylvania’s role in developing the national framework of government.”
State Museum of PA and Tower at 3rd and Forster, exterior rendering, showing new observation area in former Archives building
PHMC’s “small but mighty staff” will spend the museum’s two-and-a-half-year closure to rework select exhibits, said Lowery. All elements of the plan are expected to be completed by 2033.
In an age of pushback against diversity and inclusion in history, the museum will keep pursuing its goal “to provide context and to make sure we’re serving all Pennsylvanians, collecting that history and interpreting that history,” she said.
“Our job is to help provide information pertaining to where we are today and where we’ll be tomorrow,” Lowery said. “I think that telling the history of all Pennsylvanians in an inclusive manner is our work that we’re supposed to be doing.”
State Museum of Pennsylvania is located at 300 North St., Harrisburg. “Art of the State 2025” runs through Sept. 14.
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