The Royal Ontario Museum (commonly referred to as the "ROM") is a world-renowned museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the fifth largest in North America.

The museum was created by the Province of Ontario on April 16, 1912 and was opened on March 19, 1914. It is located next to Queen's Park and the University of Toronto. It has notable collections of dinosaurs, Near Eastern and African art, East Asian art, European history, Canadian history, culture, and biodiversity, and five million other pieces of art, archaeology, and science. In total the collection holds more than six million items.

The building is located at the corner of Bloor Street and Avenue Road. While this location was outside of downtown when the site was chosen, it was selected for its proximity to the University of Toronto. The University and the ROM have continued to have close relations, often sharing expertise and resources. Construction began in 1914. The first part constructed is the west wing, that is today used as storage and office space. It was greatly expanded in the 1930s as part of government attempts to create jobs in the Great Depression. In 1964 the planetarium was added to the south and in 1975 a multi-leveled atrium was added that doubled the floor space. The planetarium was closed in 1995, then re-opened temporarily in 1998 as the Children's Own Museum; it has housed various travelling exhibitions since.

The museum is currently undergoing a major renovation, dubbed "The Crystal," designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind and slated for completion in 2006. This renovation will see the planetarium and the 1975 additions torn down and replaced with a giant crystal form exploding out of the side of the building.

External link

• Royal Ontario Museum