The Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto Ontario is home to the Royal Ontario Museum or ‘the ROM’ as it is known. The ROM is a popular tourist destination for young and old alike. It is Canada’s largest natural history museum. Its history dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century when citizens decided they wanted a world class museum. A bill was passed in parliament in 1912 to ensure the building was created. Funded by the University of Toronto and the Government, the building was formerly opened in 1914. Designed by Frank Darling and John A. Pearson, the colonial style building became an instant success with the public.
Due to its overwhelming success, the ROM was expanded in 1933 and again in 1984. A third and final phase dubbed ROM Renaissance, is a very modern $270 million expansion featuring glass and steel oblique shapes. The architects for the renaissance are Daniel Libeskind and Bregmann and Harman architects. The massive facelift has catapulted the ROM into the twenty-first century: every gallery has been overhauled.
Royal Ontario Museum Exhibits, Treasures, and Permanent Collections
The Iconic Fifteen are the must sees when visiting the ROM: 15 treasures that are famous throughout the world as well as in Toronto.
They are: the Tomb of General Zu Dashou ,( a Ming era tomb of General Zu Dashou), The Paradise of Meitreya, (a wall hanging of Chinese temple art), ancient totem poles from the Pacific Northwest, Benjamin West’s painting The Death of General Wolfe, The Tagish Lake meteorite, the Cerusitte Gem, the white rhinoceros, Gordo, the 90 foot long barosaurus, Kunti, (a blue sculpture by artist Navjot Altaf), Striding Lion, (a rare collection of relief clay bricks from the castle of Nebuchadnezzar), the head of Cleopatra, (one of three Ptolemaic sculptures that exist in the world today), and the Statue of Sekhmet.
The ROM boasts four large galleries that have something for everyone: the World Galleries covers First Nations historical artifacts, ancient Greek artifacts, Civil War Uniforms from Italy, Ancient Japanese art, African and South Asian art and artifacts, and treasures from Egypt and Korea.
Royal Ontario Museum Natural Galleries
The Natural Galleries are a smorgasbord of everything to do with the natural world- from dinosaurs to butterflies. The Hands-On Galleries are great for kids who like to participate instead of not able to touch anything. They can dig for dinosaur bones, look for leaves and explore Canadian History through a digital three dimensional computer.
Royal Ontario Museum Exhibitions
Exhibition Spaces is a multi disciplinary, multi-level space that houses contemporary art, a rooftop restaurant, and the Garfield Exhibition Hall for temporary exhibitions. The ROM has it all and should be on every traveler’s agenda. Its mission is "to engage the public in exploration of cultural change and to serve as an advocate for science in the study of nature." With the centaury celebrations coming up on 2014, and the ROM Renaissance complete, the ROM is poised to hold onto its title as Canada’s largest Natural History museum.
Go to: http://www.rom.on.ca/index.php for details and directions
By Melissa Montgomery