PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Museum's $12.1 million renovation project is on track for reopening the museum next summer. 

 

The major renovation of the 1903 structure will include a new lobby, gift shop, family activity center, lecture hall, conference room, and reimagined first-floor galleries showcasing art, natural history, and historical objects. 

 

One of the biggest attractions will be the aquarium, which will be double the size and replace the old theater.

 

"We're going to have a whole group of new exhibits and exhibitions. Our aquarium, which is in the basement currently, is being moved up to where the old theater is. So it's going to be our marquee addition to the museum," said Shane Frasier, director of marketing and communications. "It's going to be great. It's going to be a really nice draw for people of all ages in the Berkshires and beyond."

 

The new aquarium will have room for new species and a lighted walkway through the space. 

 

"We had the person who designed that come a couple months ago, we got to see what a couple of the tiles would look like," Frasier said. "So there's a blue light underneath it, but that light can change color, so it's going to be this, really immersive vibrant experience when people go in there."

 

Recently the museum posted a timelapse of the Senso flooring — a sustainable, seamless bio-resin flooring — being poured.