The Museum’s displays, programs, collections and staff were split among the Exhibitions Centre in Market Square, the Collections and Research Centre on Douglas Avenue, and three off-site collection facilities.

The Revitalize NBM project will reunite these aspects of the museum in a striking, thoughtful, and efficient development on Douglas Avenue including the refurbished heritage collections building.

This project will provide the NBM with a new home, where the collections can be preserved safely and the exhibitions and programs enjoyed by visitors for years to come.

The site the NBM has occupied for almost a century is rich in historical significance, and the new-build will reinvigorate it. The location beside Riverview Memorial Park and overlooking Marble Cove is also easily connected to Uptown Saint John by Harbour Passage. It is also close to many significant historic cultural and natural landmarks.

This site beautifully captures sightlines onto the Saint John (Wolastoq) River to the west as well as Saint John Harbour and the Bay of Fundy to the east.

The NBM’s collection is being moved to a location on Lancaster Avenue which will ensure that it remains accessible for research and study during the intervening period while the new permanent exhibition and collection centre is being completed.

The NBM Board of Directors is overseeing this project and is involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of the project. The NBM’s professional staff are involved in ensuring the design of the new facility meets the technical needs of the institution. Diamond Schmitt Architects, selected to create the final design, are working daily with the Board and staff to ensure their vision addresses the needs of the public and museum staff.

The new-build will be a world-class landmark for our province. It will attract and engage New Brunswickers, visitors, researchers and educators from around the globe for years to come. The NBM provides a vital role in documenting and conserving New Brunswick’s rich history. This helps New Brunswick communities tell their own stories and showcase over 13,000 years of human history and 1 billion years of natural history represented collectively as time-immemorial in our province.

Yes, the Revitalize NBM Project involves discussion with Indigenous leaders, experts and communities in all stages of the project. This includes engagement through a continuous and respectful open dialogue to create a culturally meaningful and inclusive facility. These discussions are ongoing and it is the goal of the Board of NBM that they will continue to grow long after the facilities are constructed. This will ensure that New Brunswick’s provincial museum represents the stories and long cultural traditions of first peoples of the land known today as New Brunswick.