Royal Ontario Museum's $130M transformation will debut in 2027

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will unveil its $130-million transformation after three years of unsightly construction along the Toronto landmark's crystalline Bloor West frontage.

The ROM announced on Tuesday that it will reopen its Bloor entrance next May, when the newly renovated Hennick Entrance and Court is unveiled.

First announced in 2024 as part of the museum's "OpenROM" initiative, the project partially demolished and rebuilt the oft-criticized 2008-opened Michael Lee-Chin Crystal to make the landmark more welcoming both inside and out.

A 2027 opening was targeted at the time of the project's launch, and three years later, things are well on track to meet the May target announced on Tuesday.

The revitalized entrance includes a prominent new water feature wrapping around the museum's heritage facade on Queen's Park and Bloor Street, along with a sculptural bronze canopy, combining to create a more dramatic entrance to the much-photographed destination.

The crystal's original design by world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind is now joined by the new fully accessible entrance and plaza from Canadian architect Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects.

Inside, the new Hennick Court entrance foyer will double as a public gallery visible to passersby on the street, and will boast relics like the historic Ming Dynasty Temple Bell of Wei Bin and a 1.4-tonne amethyst geode.

"Within the new Hennick Entrance and Court, these installations will offer visitors an immediate encounter with the depth and diversity of ROM's collections of art, culture, and nature from around the world and across the ages," said Nicholas R. Bell, ROM Director & CEO. 

The exact opening date is slated to be announced in early 2027.