In the shadow of the massive football stadium, the bustling hospital and the looming Penn Tower hotel stands the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
As the surrounding buildings have been expanded and new ones erected, the museum, founded in 1887, has remained relatively isolated from its chaotic surroundings. After passing through the 1920s-inspired metal gates and entering into the garden, the commotion and rush amidst which the museum sits disappear.
But now, after all these years of waiting patiently, the museum is in the process of stretching its legs.
In May, the University Museum celebrated the completion of renovations to its courtyard garden and Mainwaring Wing addition, the first major construction effort since the addition of the academic wing in 1971.
And the museum has not stopped there. Last Thursday, the museum held a ground-breaking ceremony for phase one -- a $10 million phase -- of the projected $30 million project involving air conditioning, renovations and expansion.
Last May's Mainwaring Wing addition was a $17 million project that combined state-of-the-art, climate-controlled storing facilities with offices and work spaces for those who study the collection.
Museum Director Jeremy Sabloff says that these huge numbers reflect the concentrated effort of workers to preserve the historical structures of the buildings as it makes these major renovations.
Many of the museum's walls were constructed in the early 20th century and do not comply with modern-day asbestos standards. Therefore, construction workers cannot simply blast through walls in order to bury new piping networks.
"During the late 19th and early 20th century, everything you had was on display," Museum Director Jeremy Sabloff said. "They didn't build dedicated storage areas.... I presented a plan to build the new wing, which we are now in the process of moving 100, 000 objects."
The portion of the Native American collection not on display was previously stored in the basement, in barrels, wrapped in layers upon layers of plastic. This made it inaccessible to students and researchers.
In addition, many of these perishable objects lay victim to the atmosphere, including the threat from the old steam pipes that ran overhead.
This rudimentary method of storage has been completely replaced by four floors of glass, climate and humidity controlled storage facilities, stocked with rows of automated, computerized and locked shelving systems.
Every precautionary measure has been addressed by the building's scrupulous design, from the acid free paper it uses to the highly stable white paint plastering the walls.
"I think that this is going to be a model nationally for how to do this type of storage," Sabloff added.
Already, museums staffs around the country have visited the University in order to learn how to incorporate the technology into their museums.
These airtight facilities face offices and workspaces, the large windows of which overlook the newly renovated courtyard and parts of campus.
The brick path in the courtyard, which once served as a driveway for cars, is completely cleared and lined with wooden benches. Often, workers, eager to escape the afternoon rush, take their lunches and picnic on the museum lawn.
On one side of the garden is the recent addition, while literally opposing it on the other side is its older counterpart, outdating it by almost a century, yet the two blend indistinguishably.
But the century gap in construction could not be more apparent within the insides of each of these buildings, as one holds one of the most modern storage facilities in the world, and the other still depends on fans for climate control.
Even fans cannot compensate for the unbearably hot summer months, and Sabloff said that a centralized air conditioning system is certain to drive up visitor numbers.
"Often people ask the question, what differentiates Penn... what makes Penn unique," Sabloff said. "It's this museum. This museum is nationally renowned for its research and capabilities."
The museum had once stood by itself on the corner of 33rd and Spruce streets. Now, the museum is making a concerted effort to stand out once again among the many buildings that have been added since.
"This is a dream come true for the director," Museum spokeswoman Pam Kosty said. "Hopefully, students will finally understand the huge resource they have at their fingertips."
