Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (RTMP; often referred to as the Royal Tyrrell Museum) is a palaeontology museum and research facility in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada. The museum was named in honour of Joseph Burr Tyrrell, and is situated within a 12,500-square-metre-building (135,000 sq ft) designed by BCW Architects at Midland Provincial Park.
Former name | Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology (1985–1990) |
---|---|
Established | 25 September 1985; 38 years ago (1985-09-25)[note 1] |
Location | 1500 N Dinosaur Trail, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada |
Coordinates | 51°28′45″N 112°47′24″W |
Type | Palaeontological |
Visitors | 470,000 (2016–17)[1] |
Executive director | Lisa Making[2] |
Architect | BCW Architects |
Owner | Government of Alberta[3] |
Website | tyrrellmuseum |
Efforts to establish a palaeontology museum were announced by the provincial government in 1981, with the palaeontology program of the Provincial Museum of Alberta spun-off to help facilitate the creation of a palaeontology museum. After four years of preparation, the Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology was opened in September 1985. The museum was later renamed the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in June 1990, following its bestowal of the title "royal" from Queen Elizabeth II. The museum's building was expanded twice in the 21st century. The first expansion was designed by BCW Architects, and was completed in 2003; while the second expansion was designed by Kasian Architecture, and was completed in 2019.
The museum's personal collection includes over 160,000 cataloged fossils, consisting of over 350 holotypes, providing the museum with the largest collection of fossils in Canada. The museum displays approximately 800 fossils from its collection in its museum exhibits. In addition to exhibits, the museum's fossil collection are also used by the museum's research program, which carries a mandate to document and analyze geological and palaeontological history.