Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

Rotary Club of Palo Alto Gifts $100,000 to Rebuild the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

On Monday, September 10, the Rotary Club of Palo Alto presented the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends) with a $100,000 grant to support a new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) facility.

Aletha Coleman, Friends’ Board President, says that the organization is proud to partner with the Rotary Club to re-imagine and rebuild the JMZ. “The Friends’ Board of Directors is thankful to the Rotary Club of Palo Alto for helping make possible a new Junior Museum & Zoo. Their support and partnership has been an instrumental part of the Friends’ successfully raising $25 million to construct the new facility.”

This gift from the Rotary Club, along with the generous support of other donors, helps to ensure that the Junior Museum & Zoo will be revitalized so that it can continue to serve children and their families for generations to come. Ginny Lear, Rotary Club President, believes that the new Junior Museum & Zoo will be a wellspring of rich educational opportunities. “This grant to support the JMZ is a perfect match for us as we begin to focus on our Club’s Centennial year, coming in 2022. We are proud to help to continue providing exceptional science experiences for our youngest community members and look forward to future partnerships.”

Built in 1941, the old Junior Museum & Zoo building had become inadequate for the extensive early-education science programming that the JMZ provides both on-site and in local elementary schools. The new Junior Museum & Zoo will include safer access, improved facilities and increased access for visitors of all abilities. The building will be modernized while retaining the kid-friendly and intimate qualities of the old facility, providing even more unique, educational experiences that are invaluable to children.

Construction began in June 2018 and the new JMZ will open in 2020. The current architectural designs and a project timeline can be found on the Friends’ website: https://friendsjmz.org/building-new-jmz/.

The JMZ is open at Cubberley Community Center during construction, located at 4050 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Visitors can continue to enjoy many of their favorite exhibits, including the Kid-Powered Ball Machine and the giant Climbing Web. Some animals are also located at Cubberley, including the snakes, skinks and hedgehogs.

Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Breaks Ground on a New Facility

On Saturday, June 30, the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) celebrated the groundbreaking of a new facility. The celebration included a ceremonial shovels-in-the-ground ceremony, as well as speeches by Mayor Liz Kniss, the Friends of the Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends) Board President, Aletha Coleman, and JMZ Executive Director, John Aikin.

Aletha Coleman thanked the City of Palo Alto and the Peery Foundation for supporting the effort to build a new museum and zoo. “The Friends’ Board of Directors is grateful to the Peery Foundation and all of our donors for helping the Friends raise $25 million to reimagine and rebuild the Junior Museum & Zoo. We are also thankful to the City of Palo Alto and the entire City Council for believing in this project and making it a reality.”

The Junior Museum & Zoo is being rebuilt after a decade-long effort to realize a new JMZ facility. Built in 1941, the old Junior Museum & Zoo building has become inadequate for the extensive early-education science programming that the JMZ provides both on-site and in local elementary schools. The old facility has also proven to be insufficient for the nearly 200,000 visitors it hosts every year.

The new Junior Museum & Zoo will include safer access, improved facilities and increased access for visitors of all abilities. The building will be modernized while retaining the kid-friendly and intimate qualities of the old facility, providing even more unique, educational experiences that are invaluable to children. Construction is expected to take 18 months, and the new JMZ will open in 2020. The current architectural designs and a project timeline can be found on the Friends’ website: https://friendsjmz.org/building-new-jmz/.

During construction the JMZ and the Friends will be housed at Cubberley Community Center, located at 4050 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Visitors can continue to enjoy many of their favorite exhibits, including the Kid-Powered Ball Machine and the giant Climbing Web. Some animals will also be located at Cubberley, including the snakes, skinks and hedgehogs. The JMZ is currently closed to visitors and is expected to re-open at Cubberley this summer.

Palo Alto City Council Allocates $1 Million for Experiences in the New Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

JMZ Main Entrance
Front Entrance

The Palo Alto City Council approved $1 million in funding for the new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) to help the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends) include two exciting features in the new facility. In addition to the $25 million previously raised by the Friends, the City and the Friends will jointly raise an additional $2 million for a Tree House Fort and netting to cover the zoo. The Tree House Fort will add a children’s climbing experience, and the netting will provide an open environment for patrons to interact directly with the zoo animals.

Due to rising construction costs, the recently raised $25 million to rebuild the Junior Museum & Zoo was not sufficient to preserve all the new elements of the new facility. Fortunately, the City and the Friends working together will preserve exciting program elements that will be enjoyed by the community for generations.

Aletha Coleman, the Friends’ Board President, says, “We are grateful for the City Council’s support, which will help us complete construction on time and on budget, and we are excited to plan for groundbreaking.” The current architectural designs and a project timeline can be found on the Friends’ website.

The new Junior Museum & Zoo is expected to be under construction for 18 months, and will open in summer 2020. Children and their parents will enjoy safer access in the new JMZ, as well as improved facilities and increased access for visitors of all abilities. The new building will be modernized while retaining the kid-friendly and intimate qualities of the current facility, providing even more educational experiences that are uniquely valuable to children.

Palo Alto City Council Green Lights Construction of the New Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

Dawn Redwood Courtyard
Dawn Redwood Courtyard

Palo Alto City Council has approved the construction of a new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) facility, including approving a construction management agreement between the City of Palo Alto and the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends). City Council approved the design of the new JMZ on December 4, 2017.

Built in 1941, the current Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo facility is proving inadequate for the pivotal role that the JMZ plays in early-science education. The JMZ hosts 184,000 visitors each year from the local community and beyond, and engages more than 19,000 pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students every year in vital STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education lessons. The new Junior Museum & Zoo will include safer access, improved facilities and increased access for visitors of all abilities.

In January 2017, the Friends raised $25 million to rebuild the JMZ, thanks to a $15 million matching grant from the Peery Foundation and $10 million in private donations from local donors. The City of Palo Alto expects to contribute over $7 million to the project. The new building will be modernized while retaining the kid-friendly and intimate qualities of the current facility, providing even more educational experiences that are uniquely valuable to children. Aletha Coleman, Board President, says, “The Friends’ Board of Directors is honored to make the new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo a reality for future generations of children and their families. The improved JMZ will continue to provide exceptional early-science programs that inspire a love of science and nature, as it has done for more than 80 years.”

John Aikin, JMZ Director, believes that the enhanced facility will help catalyze the JMZ as an essential resource for curriculum-based science education for preschool and elementary school students. “The JMZ provides opportunities for rich experiences in a fun and safe learning environment. The new Junior Museum & Zoo will leverage our position as a model for delivering science education, while adding animal habitats and formative exhibits that promote questions and exploration.” Groundbreaking is expected to take place in the summer of 2018, and the facility is scheduled to reopen in 2020. During construction the JMZ will be housed at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto.

The current architectural designs and a project timeline can be found on the Friends’ website.

The Peery Foundation and Local Community raise $25 Million to build a new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) will be re-imagined and rebuilt, architectural rendering of future JMZ facilitythanks to a $15 million matching grant from the Peery Foundation and $10 million in private donations from local donors. The Board of Directors of the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends) is pleased to present the $25 million rebuild of the JMZ as a gift to the community.

Dave Peery, Managing Director of the Peery Foundation, believes that the JMZ has the ability to transform the lives of young children through high-quality and hands-on science instruction. He states: “The JMZ has a demonstrated history of teaching vital science education to generations of children, regardless of their economic background. Our family is excited to help make the new Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo a reality, and ensure it will continue to bring science alive for future generations in this community.”

The current building, built in 1941, is proving inadequate for the increasing role the JMZ plays in educating mid-pennisula children. The JMZ teaches over 19,000 children in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Mountain View, and hosts approximately 150,000 visits a year. The new Junior Museum & Zoo will include safer access and improved facilities for visitors, a more integrated entrance from Rinconada Park, and additional parking.

John Aikin, JMZ Executive Director, emphasizes: “It is important to us that we retain the intimate and child-like qualities of the current facility. We will add more interactive exhibits and habitats that promote questions in young children without removing the safe environment in which they can explore.”

The construction project, which will be managed by the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo, is currently going through Palo Alto city review, including City Council boards, commissions and the general public. Final council sign off is expected this summer and groundbreaking is planned to take place in the spring of 2018. The new facility is scheduled to reopen in 2020. The current architectural designs and a project timeline can be found on the Friends’ website: https://friendsjmz.org/building-new-jmz/.

“Community treasures, such as the JMZ, which make Palo Alto such a wonderful place to live and visit, would not be possible without the generosity of our private donors. We want to take a moment to celebrate and thank our donors for making the new JMZ a reality,” says Aletha Coleman, the Friends’ Board President.

The Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo Presents Designs for a New Facility

jmz city council meetingOn November 21, 2016, designs and plans for rebuilding the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (JMZ) were presented to the Palo Alto City Council for review and comment in a study session. The project, named the JMZ Initiative, is a private/public partnership between the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (Friends) and the City of Palo Alto that will keep this intimate and beloved family resource viable for future generations.

The designs, drawn by local architect firm, Cody Anderson Wasney, have been reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) and the Community Services Department. Designs will be further reviewed by the City’s departments and commissions over the next few months, with the hope that ground breaking will commence late 2017.

John Aikin, JMZ Executive Director, believes that the JMZ is a model for how museums can deliver better informal science education. “Children approach the world like scientists – they question, investigate, and discover. For me, the most exciting thing about the new JMZ is that we have added more exhibits and animal habitats to leverage play and encourage exploration in young children.”

The plans include safer access and improved facilities for visitors, a more integrated entrance from Rinconada Park, and additional parking. The current building, built in 1941, is proving inadequate for the increasing role the JMZ plays in educating mid-pennisula children. The JMZ teaches over 19,000 children in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Mountain View, and hosts approximately 150,000 visits a year.

The project will be financed via an unprecedented gift for a Palo Alto City facility from the Peery Foundation, which has issued a $15 million challenge grant, giving one-and-a-half dollars for each dollar raised in the first $10 million tranche. To date, more than $9 million has been donated thanks to the generous support of local families and foundations.

With less than $1 million to raise by the deadline of January 31, 2017, the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo is urging the community to donate generously.

“We invite the community to join us in this important Initiative. You’ll help the next generation of scientists, doctors, engineers and entrepreneurs meet the future’s many challenges,” says Marshall Koch, Friends’ Board member and JMZ Initiative Co-Chair.

JMZ Initiative Update

The Board of Directors of Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo is pleased to present a prospectus for the JMZ Initiative describing the goals and milestones for the redesign and rebuild of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo (download the Prospectus here).  As the prospectus will show, many stakeholders have been helpful in the effort to create a JMZ better able to serve future generations of families with the same dedication to early learning as demonstrated over the last 82 years.

The Peery Foundation Matching Grant

The JMZ Initiative’s timeline depends on successful private fundraising to meet the Peery Foundation’s generous offer of a 1 to 1.5 match for every dollar raised.  Thanks to help from many donors, the Friends’ Board is poised for success having secured $8 million towards a $10 million goal.  Upon reaching $10 million, the Peery Foundation will release $15 million and this will provide the funding necessary for planning and construction.

City of Palo Alto Milestones

The Friends’ Board and JMZ staff have been working with City of Palo Alto officials to meet all criteria required by a public/private partnership.  This April, the Parks & Recreation Commission gave a resounding vote of approval for an updated design of the building and grounds.  The new design features a building with reduced impact on Rinconada Park and an enhanced visitor experience.

Approval from the Architectural Review Board and the City Council is expected in August, 2016.  Construction is slated to begin in Fall of 2017 with the opening celebration for the new JMZ in Fall of 2019.

Continuing Services During Construction

During construction most of the JMZ services will continue without interruption.  Cubberley Community Center will provide a staging area offering access to exhibits and programming for members of Club JMZ and the public.  The animal collection will be cared for behind-the-scenes meeting best practices standards for animal care.

The JMZ Educators will provide the same excellent and innovative science curriculum to schools in Palo Alto, East Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Santa Clara County and surrounding communities.  Summer camps, after school camps and classes will also continue at alternative sites, such as the Baylands or Cubberley Community Center.  Numerous collaborations that have been forged with Stanford University, IDEO, local Pre-K schools and other organizations will continue and be expanded.

Investment and Support to Meet the Matching Grant

The money raised thus far for the JMZ Initiative has come primarily from families who have used and loved the Junior Museum & Zoo.  Parents and grandparents have demonstrated how much they value the JMZ by investing in this civic asset.  Recognition opportunities are available to commemorate special birthdays, anniversaries or memorialize loved ones.

A list of investors in the JMZ Initiative is also available on the website.  Thanks to all who hae been responsible for advancing this project in such a timely and collaborative way.

Two new members were recently welcomed to the JMZ Initiative Advisory Council.  Leannah Hunt with The Sereno Group of Palo Alto joins museum consultant Peter Giles, former President and CEO of the Tech Museum in San Jose, as Advisory Council members.  Their enthusiasm and guidance, along with all advisers to the JMZ Initiative have added invaluable expertise to the leadership of the project.

Please contact us at 650 326-6338, or info@friendsjmz.org if you would like more information or have ideas or contacts that could be helpful.