Midwest Museum of Natural History

In the rural town of Sycamore, Illinois, The Midwest Museum of Natural History sits and is known as a primary source of natural history. In 1875 the structure was built as the home of the Universalist Church in Sycamore. Later the town of Sycamore bought it and renamed it the Sycamore Convention Center in 1927. It housed a swimming pool in its basement. In February 2004, this 128-year-old building was overhauled once again with a top to bottom 1.2 million dollar renovation. This included the creation of the main exhibit hall, a meeting/activity room, the Discovery Den, classrooms, offices, collection storage, and a new roof and climate controls, to help preserve the museum specimens.