DALLAS, Texas — Downtown Dallas’ Perot Museum of Nature and Science wants to push its exhibits outdoors, with a four-acre makeover of its campus that would roughly double the space visitors can explore.
Plans call for about 60,000 square feet of open-air exhibits built around the forces of nature. Among the planned features are a fire tornado more than a story tall, a giant water vortex, launching geysers, a mist maze, a pavilion for lightning and thunder demonstrations, a treetop walkway and a paleontology garden. Museum leaders count roughly 25 large exhibits and 40 smaller learning stops in the design.
Construction is expected to start in early 2027, and the reworked campus should welcome its first visitors in late 2028. Museum officials expect the project to bring in about 400,000 more visitors a year, a lift for a downtown that has been working to draw more foot traffic.
The work goes beyond exhibits. The campus would gain native plants and shaded green space, a new entrance and lobby, better classroom and dining areas, more room for events and a parking garage on site.
A large team is lined up for the build. Hillwood Urban will oversee development, while Balfour Beatty will run construction. Morphosis drew the design, The Beck Group serves as architect of record, and the landscape firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates is shaping the grounds.
The museum is paying for the expansion through its Curiosity Unbound fundraising drive, which has a $185 million goal and has collected $135 million so far. The campaign also supports education programs and community outreach.
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