The Penn Museum is currently undergoing its largest renovation in the museum’s history.
The museum's renovations in the Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries are the second part of the Museum’s Building Transformation project, which began in 2014 and reimagines 75% of the museum’s footprint. These galleries span two floors of the Coxe Egyptian Wing, which houses 50,000 Egyptian and Nubian objects dating from 4,000 B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E.
“The Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries will be a feat of major significance and a point of cultural pride for the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond. Nowhere else outside of Egypt will visitors be able to walk through soaring architectural elements of an ancient Egyptian palace — it is worth the wait,” Williams Director at the Penn Museum and Avalon Professor in the Humanities Christopher Woods told The Daily Pennsylvanian. “These galleries will provide an unparalleled opportunity to glimpse a day in the life of ancient Egyptians and Nubians — not only powerful, famous pharaohs but also working citizens who fueled two of the world's oldest and enduring societies.”
The renovations are unfolding in two phases in the main and upper levels of the museum. The Main Level renovations are set to be completed at the end of 2026, according to Penn Museum Public Relations Director Jill DiSanto. The main level will include an 7,145 square foot Egypt gallery that will be anchored by the lime tomb chapel of Kaipure — which has not been displayed in its entirety in over thirty years.
The chapel dates back to 2,300 B.C.E., and was a place where priests could perform funeral rituals and give offerings to ensure the prosperity of the dead in the afterlife.
The second stage of renovations is set to be completed by the end of 2028. The Upper Level’s Egypt and Nubia Galleries titled Royalty and Religion will showcase the palace of Pharaoh Merenptah. The palace is over 3,000 years old, and its 30-foot columns will be on display for the first time since their excavation over a century ago, according to DiSanto.
To accommodate these changes, the Museum is in the process of installing steel tie rods across the arches in the Main Level gallery to increase floor load capacity. These rods will also allow the Upper Level gallery to accommodate the weight of the palace of Pharaoh Merenptah.
The renovations are part of phase two of Building Transformation’s three-phase update to the museum. Phase one prioritized changes to the Main Entrance and Main Level, while phase three will include the installation of new galleries on Buddhism and the History of China.
Other smaller construction projects in the Coxe Egyptian Wing during this phase the installation of include state-of-the-art lighting and mechanical systems and new artifact storage facilities in order to enhance preservation efforts. The Museum is also building a new study room in the wing for use by students and researchers.
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