Field Museum

About Field Museum

The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum located in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world, showcasing fossils, current cultures from around the world, and interactive programming that demonstrate today’s conservation needs. Its permanent exhibitions attract over two million visitors annually. 

The museum was named after Marshall Field, a department-store magnate and its first major benefactor. It originated from artifacts displayed at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and now maintains a temporary exhibition program of traveling shows and topical exhibitions.

Its professional staff maintains collections of over 24 million specimens and objects that are used for scientific research programs. These collections include everything from existing biodiversity to meteorites to rich anthropological collections and cultural artifacts from around the globe.

The museum also has an extensive library containing over 275,000 books, journals and photo archives focused on biological systematics, evolutionary biology, geology, archaeology, ethnology and material culture. This library supports both their academic-research faculty as well as their exhibit development initiatives. The academic faculty and scientific staff engage in fieldwork on every continent as well as research projects in order to steward these rich specimen and artifact collections while collaborating with public programming exhibitions and education initiatives.

The History of The Field Museum 

The Field Museum is a repository of knowledge and artifacts that originated from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. It was established by merchant Marshall Field in order to preserve the exhibits from the exposition, and was originally known as the Columbian Museum of Chicago. In 1905, its name changed to the Field Museum of Natural History to honor its first major benefactor, and to reflect its focus on natural sciences. From 1943-1966, it was known as the Chicago Natural History Museum. In 1921, the museum moved to its current location on Chicago Park District property near downtown. If interested in learning about the Navy Pier click here! 

The Field Museum has gained a reputation for excellence through continual growth over time, extending its scope of collections and scientific research output, along with award-winning exhibitions, outreach publications and programs. The museum is now part of Chicago’s lakefront Museum Campus, located alongside John G. Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium.

In 2015, a seven-year fraud came to light when an employee was reported to have stolen $900,000 from the museum during that period up until 2014. If looking for painting & remodeling contact CHJ Painting & Remodeling. 

Business Information 

Address: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

Phone: (312) 922-9410

Founded: September 16, 1893

Architect: Daniel Burnham

Architectural style: Neoclassical architecture

Founder: Marshall Field

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