Bell Museum puts hope for new building on deep hold

The dramatic new Bell Museum of Natural History was supposed to break ground last year.

Then this year.

Now, who knows?

After trying twice to get a big chunk of state money for a $39.5 million building on the St. Paul campus, the University of Minnesota will drop the item from its 2010 request to fund construction projects.

"I didn't want to risk a third line-item veto," said university President Robert Bruininks. "We shouldn't let go of the dream. ... But we may have to reset our course."

Now, university and museum officials are in "very, very new" discussions with museums and private companies about possible partnerships. They're also preparing exhibits that would wow legislators, should the university try for funding in future years.

"We're disappointed, but we're realistic," said Susan Weller, the Bell Museum's director. "We've been in front of the Legislature for two years and enjoyed broad bipartisan support. That said, we didn't get funded.

"With nothing changed, going up a third time is just not a productive use of our resources."

Instead, most of the university's $242 million capital request focuses on repair and renovation and could signal a strategy to ask for the basics, rather than flashy new buildings.

About $100 million would go toward repair and basic infrastructure projects. Next in priority is a $36.5 million renovation of Folwell Hall. Built in 1907, it is a collection of obsolete classrooms that, according to Bruininks, "needs some work." Another $10 million would be spent to renovate various labs.

Two requests for new buildings make the list: $10 million for an American Indian Learning Resource Center on the Duluth campus, and $80 million for a new physics and nanotechnology building on the Twin Cities campus.

"I commend the president and staff for coming in with a request that's weighted toward ... renovation," said regent Steven Hunter.

Rethinking strategy

Regents reviewed the capital request Friday and will vote on it in October. It then would go to the Legislature, which convenes in February.

If its request is fully funded, the university would commit to covering $47.3 million of the total cost, some of which the university hopes to raise in private donations. The projects would also add about $3 million in annual operation costs, said Richard Pfutzenreuter, the university's chief financial officer.

Bell will make its case

Meanwhile, the Bell Museum plans to make the case that as the state's only natural history museum, it plays an important research and educational role for all Minnesotans.

The museum's upcoming exhibit, "Hungry Planet: What the World Eats," demonstrates a "philosophical shift" in programming, Weller said. It runs from October until May, allowing two semesters for visitors to witness the newest research on a hot topic.

"We're moving away from the rent-an-exhibit-for-three-months approach," she said. Instead the museum is "focusing on the expertise at the university and bringing it alive."

The museum is also developing a new video and curriculum on the water quality of the Mississippi River to be shown to students around the state.

The museum had brought in about $10 million in donations for the new building and is fighting to keep that in spite of the setbacks in state funding. The Bell will use some of that money to try out new exhibit techniques in the existing building. That has pleased several donors, Weller said.

The U has been fundraising and planning for a new Bell Museum on the St. Paul campus for years, at one point aiming to break ground in summer 2008.

Long-drawn plans for the stone, steel and glass building include classrooms, a cafe and a 300-seat auditorium. Outside, visitors would witness research among acres of prairie and forest.

Although not much bigger than the existing museum, the space itself would be more flexible than the current building, where it's difficult to work around the famous dioramas.

"We're going to get it done eventually," Bruininks said Friday.

Jenna Ross • 612-673-7168