Edelman Fossil Park Museum, New Jersey

Work is almost complete on Rowan University’s Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park Museum in New Jersey. This ambitious project will see a dinosaur fossil park museum built within a 65-acre landscape. The museum will perch above a former quarry, beneath which 66-million-year-old marine and terrestrial fossils tell the stories of the last dinosaurs that walked the earth. The estimated $73 million project is being funded by a $25 million gift from alumni benefactors Jean & Ric Edelman; the museum aims to attract 200,000 guests a year when it opens in 2025. The project team comprises KSS Architects, Ennead Architects, contractors Dobco Group and exhibit designers Gallagher Associates. Landscape design is provided by Seed Design and Yaki Miodovnik. Once complete, the museum will feature full-scale reconstructions of extinct dinosaurs, immersive exhibits and hands-on learning experiences. Additionally, the museum aims to be the state’s largest public net-zero emissions building. The Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park Museum was originally scheduled to open by May 2023. However, this target was pushed to the summer of 2024 without an explanation for the delays (the project relies on the ongoing $10 million Mantua Boulevard Extension, which may impact the timeline). In November 2024, the project confirmed it would open to the public in March 2025, with a confirmed opening of 29 March given in February 2025. (Updated 25 February 2025)