New Bedford Whaling Museum's $37 million welcome center will open within 10 months, its CEO says

NEW BEDFORD The New Bedford Whaling Museum's new two-story Welcome and Exhibition Center on William Street will open within 10 months, President and CEO Amanda McMullen told the New Bedford Economic Development Council's annual meeting Thursday, Oct. 29, The Standard-Times reported. "In less than 10 months we will open our doors and we're so excited to have you all join us," she said.

The museum lists the total cost at $37 million on its Open Doors campaign page. The building adds about 20,000 square feet across William Street from the museum's campus on Johnny Cake Hill, on the site of the old Hiller Printing building at 11 William St., which the museum bought for $1.5 million in October 2021, The New Bedford Light reported. The Light also reported that the Boston firm Machado Silvetti designed the building.

What the new building adds

The street-level floor will hold a welcome area, a larger museum store and what the museum calls a "community living room" with a cafe, according to the museum's campaign page, and The New Bedford Light reported that the building will serve as the museum's new main entrance. McMullen said the cafe will be run with a local restaurant or business. "We are not going in the restaurant industry," she said, according to The Standard-Times.

Upstairs, a gallery floor of more than 6,000 square feet triples the museum's space for rotating exhibitions, with its own climate control, lighting and security, the museum says. It will show the museum's Panorama and other works from the collection and host exhibitions curated with major institutions. A redesigned plaza and an accessible walkway will tie the new building to the existing campus across the street.

McMullen said the museum has about 35,000 square feet of gallery space today, but only four galleries for traveling or temporary shows, and the largest is about 1,700 square feet. "We really knew we needed to be in excess of 5,000 square feet to be competitive with the traveling exhibit universe and to be able to meet our goals for audiences," she said, as The Standard-Times reported.

Who is paying for it

The money comes from fundraising, public grants and borrowing. Each figure below is given as the museum or the state agency reports it, not as a share of the $37 million total.

• The campaign: The capital campaign had raised $34.3 million as of Aug. 15, and a separate endowment campaign $5.5 million, the museum's campaign page shows. The museum says it has raised more than 90% of the cost.
• The city: New Bedford put in $3 million through its American Rescue Plan Act grant programs, the museum says.
• A state bond: MassDevelopment announced March 17 that it had issued a $15 million tax-exempt bond for the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, which runs the expansion project. M&T Bank bought the bond and also lent the project $5 million, the state agency said.
• State grants: MassDevelopment has given the museum about $2 million in grants through the Cultural Facilities Fund, which it runs with the Mass Cultural Council, including $200,000 in fiscal 2024 for the expansion's architectural design and engineering, the agency said.
• A match: The Jacobs family has offered a $500,000 challenge match for new gifts, and gifts of $1,000 or more qualify for a commemorative paver, the museum says.

The price has grown since the public campaign began in June 2025, when the museum's goal was $31.5 million and completion was projected for fall 2026, The New Bedford Light reported.

How far along it is

Construction began in January and MassDevelopment's March release put completion in spring 2027. The steel frame is topped off, The Standard-Times reported, with the final and tallest beam painted by local artist Mandy Fraser with a whale and the words "worst aquarium ever," a nod to the museum's social media.

McMullen told the meeting that visits through September were up by more than 4,000 people over the same months a year earlier, despite the construction, The Standard-Times reported. Visits from Boston rose 37% in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 2024, before South Coast Rail began, while tour groups were down 34%, which she largely tied to changes in cruise ship traffic. Her goal for the new building is to help turn visits lasting several hours into stays of 48 hours or longer, she said.

"The museum is one of the City's most distinctive and popular cultural attractions," Mayor Jon Mitchell said in MassDevelopment's March release.

Visiting during construction

• Hours: Open every day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
• Way in: The entrance is temporarily through the Museum Store while the plaza is rebuilt.
• Street and parking: The William Street intersection at Johnny Cake Hill and Bethel Street is closed for the work, and there is no parking on Johnny Cake Hill, the museum says. The museum suggests the Elm Street Garage at 51 Elm St. or William Street west of North Second Street.
• Tickets: Adults $24, seniors 65 and older $22, youth $14. Members, children under 3 and active military are among those who get in free. New Bedford residents get 50% off, library passes take 50% off for up to four people, and the state's Card to Culture program offers $3 admission for up to six people with an EBT, WIC, ConnectorCare or Wonderfund card.
• Questions: The visitor desk is at 508-997-0046, extension 100, or admissions@whalingmuseum.org.

The museum also warns that the I-195 and Route 18 interchange work may bring detours through summer 2027. South Coast 360 laid out the next ramp closure on Oct. 30. For the history behind the collection, read our Special on whaling beyond New Bedford.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.