News

City Council Approves Support for Cook Museum Expansion

During a Special Called Meeting on Monday, August 11, 2025, the Decatur City Council approved a resolution to support a significant expansion of the Cook Museum of Natural Science and to designate it as the North Alabama STEM Center.

The expansion will almost double the museum’s size from 63,000 to nearly 120,000 square feet, adding more exhibit areas, STEM classrooms, and visitor amenities. The project is expected to boost annual visitation to over 120,000 people, enhancing tourism and creating new educational and economic opportunities for the community.

Highlights of the city’s support plan include:

• In return for conveying a portion of City-owned property to support the expansion footprint, the Cook Museum will convey two parcels to the City to build a new parking deck. 
• Construction of a new parking deck to serve the museum, a planned 130-room hotel, and future commercial development. 
• A portion of Holly Street is being vacated to allow for construction. 
• Partnering with the museum to enhance STEM education for students across the region.
  

The expansion, combined with the hotel development, represents more than $43 million in investment and is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs and ongoing tourism-driven revenue for the City.

For more information about the Cook Museum of Natural Science, visit www.cookmuseum.org.