One of the Garden State’s most prominent museums will be getting an indoor refresh and an outdoor expansion, with construction expected to begin next year on a revamp of Liberty Science Center.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has awarded $39.6 million in tax credits over five years under their new Cultural Arts Facilities Expansion (CAFE) program to the museum, which will cover most of the work expanding the 300,000-square-foot facility. The endeavor, known as Project Supernova, will create more than 100,000 square feet of new outdoor exhibition space.
New attractions at Liberty Science Center’s expansion include a physics-themed mini golf course, which will be situated on the lawn just east of the current building. A goat playground and barn meant to engage visitors with an immersive learning experience and promote wildlife conservation is slated to be built just south of the museum, next to the Dino Dig exhibit.
Other planned work includes the creation of a 9/11 Memorial Garden along the northern entrance to the facility featuring two structural beams salvaged from the World Trade Center site. A master landscaping plan will tie together the outdoor experiences to create a cohesive, cultural campus.
The project’s indoor renovations include converting a largely unused gallery into space for high-profile premium exhibitions, plus the addition of a river otter habitat facility on the building’s top floor. Upgrades are additionally planned for the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
“This major expansion of LSC is a vibrant fusion of science, ecology and culture, honoring New Jersey’s famous scientific legacy and natural ecosystems,” said Paul Hoffman, CEO and President of Liberty Science Center in a statement. “True to the DNA of Liberty Science Center, the project is bold, forward-looking and inclusive, transforming the center into an all-weather campus and world-class tourist destination where learning is fun, hands-on and accessible to all.”
Liberty Science Center will serve as the lead development entity for the project, which is slated to begin in the first quarter of 2026 and last 30 months.
The area around the museum has a lot going on in terms of construction at the moment. The 500-unit residential portion of the ambitious SciTech Scity project being built across from Liberty Science Center is nearly finished, with plans in the works for an eight-story incubator space still in the works.
Hudson County recently approved $73 million in funding for Liberty Science Center High School, a state-of-the-art STEM facility slated to be built on another portion of the 14-acre SciTech Scity campus.
In addition, the previously closed-off interior section of Liberty State Park that begins across the street from SciTech Scity is also undergoing a restoration that will add more active acreage and nature to the park.
