SANTA CRUZ >> The city of Santa Cruz will hold an online community meeting at 6 p.m. June 25 about the proposed renovation and expansion of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and improvements to the outdoor amphitheater in Tyrrell Park.

The museum, at 1305 E. Cliff Drive, is housed in the former Seabright Carnegie Library building, which was opened in 1915. The building later became home to the Museum of Natural History in the 1950s and was expanded in the 1960s.

According to the project description on the city’s website, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History Executive Director Felicia Van Stolk sent an application to renovate and expand the museum to the city’s Planning and Community Development Department in late February.

The improvement project, which is in partnership with the city of Santa Cruz, includes restoring the historic Carnegie library building and remodeling and expanding the portions of the building added in the 1960s that are not considered historic to enhance accessibility and functionality.

The building currently contains an exhibition hall, office, workshop, classroom, gift shop, event venue and museum collections storage.

The proposed addition to the museum is approximately 5,000 square feet and would include a new lobby, offices, restrooms, collections storage and a community room. According to the project plans: “The purpose of the project is to renovate and modernize the building to continue to serve the museum’s mission — to connect people with nature and science to inspire stewardship of the natural world.”

In Tyrrell Park, adjacent to the museum, the amphitheater will be rebuilt in its current location to improve accessibility around the park and to the whale sculpture in front of the museum.

The museum will continue to maintain the “learning garden,” which surrounds the building.

The project will also be reviewed in public hearings by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Commission, and requires the approval of a coastal permit, design permit, special use permit and historic alteration permit.

For questions about the project, contact Santa Cruz Senior Planner Ryan Bane at rbane@santacruzca.gov.

To view meeting details and the project plans, visit cityofsantacruz.com.