Staten Island Museum to open new location at Snug Harbor

There will soon be plenty more to explore at the Staten Island Museum.

The museum will open a new location at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Saturday, Sept. 19th, with exhibits on Staten Island’s history from the days of the dinosaurs to the present.

The inaugural exhibits at the museum will include one on the mastodon, which roamed what is now Staten Island during the ice age. Another exhibit, Staten Island SEEN, will explore the borough’s history from the 17th century to the present. Another, Opening the Treasure Box: Bringing the World Home, will have art spanning 5,000 years from five continents. There will also be an exhibit called From Farm to City, which was first shown at the Museum of City of New York, about the borough’s transition.

The new location will be at Building A at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, which has undergone a $26.8 million renovation during the past four years. While the structure is still in tact, it has undergone a gut renovation that includes repurposed wood from the original building.

The new building is among the first to be named a historical landmark in New York City. Built in 1879 and originally known as the Sailors’ Snug Harbor, the building once served as a retirement home for sailors.

“We welcome the curious doers and thinkers from all over New York City and beyond, to find those dynamic connections between natural science, art, and history that we have been collecting for them since 1881,” Staten Island Museum interim president and CEO Cheryl Adolph said in a statement.

The museum will hold a ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Sept. 19, and there will be free admission all day as well as lawn games, food, live music and crafts. There will be celebrations on Sunday, Sept. 20 as well, with a members-only tour from 10 a.m. to noon and then free admission along with music, food and special guests.

Admission to the museum is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students and free for children under 12 and members. Starting Oct. 1, admission will increase to $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and students, $3 for children under 12 and members are free.