Take a peek at the proposed plans for our new museum
We are coming up on a year since we closed the doors on the physical museum. During that year, we’ve worked very hard to make sure everybody knows that we are still a functioning museum and one that will be opening its doors again in a few years on a beautiful new space, with an expanded mission and mandate. In case you don’t believe us, we’ve arranged for a sneak peek at some real architectural plans and elevations.
As you can imagine, we are all very excited about the preliminary plans for our new museum space. True, we have to apply adjectives like ‘may’ and ‘likely’ and ‘proposed’ when speaking of the different aspects of said plans; we know that many changes may occur as renovations progress. Nevertheless there are things we can tell you and, frankly, we’re just bursting to do so.
Probably the best news is that the new museum will have more than twice the exhibition space of the old museum. You may wonder how we’ll fill it with such tiny things as coins and bills—don’t fret, our future museum will also be an interpretive centre for the Bank, bringing to Canadians the work of the Bank in creative and memorable ways. And that’s going to take some room.
Outside, we will have a highly visible street level entrance. No longer will we be a museum people tend to stumble upon; instead our entrance is going to be very conspicuous among the ever flowing rivers of walk-by traffic. Visitors will enter our space through a large glass structure, then take stairs or an elevator to reach the Museum itself, one level below ground.
Okay, so far we can’t tell you all that much and much of what we can tell you is far from certain. Nevertheless, we’re happy to be able to at least begin lifting the curtain on what, from our perspective, has all the earmarks of an exciting future.
We want to hear from you! Do you have an idea for a blog post you’d like to see?
Content type(s):
Blog posts
The Museum Blog
May 22, 2025
Speculating on the piggy bank
By: Graham Iddon
Ever since the first currencies allowed us to store value, we’ve needed a special place to store those shekels, drachmae and pennies. And the piggy bank—whether in pig form or not—has nearly always been there.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
Subject(s):
Arts,
Business,
Economics,
English language arts,
Financial literacy,
Geography,
Health,
History,
Math,
Science
Grade level(s):
Grade 09 / Secondary 3,
Grade 10 / Secondary 4,
Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5
February 26, 2025
New acquisitions—2024 edition
Bank of Canada Museum’s acquisitions in 2024 highlight the relationships that shape the National Currency Collection.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
February 11, 2025
Money’s metaphors
Buck, broke, greenback, loonie, toonie, dough, flush, gravy train, born with a silver spoon in your mouth… No matter how common the expression for money, many of us haven’t the faintest idea where these terms come from.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
August 6, 2024
Treaties, money and art
The Bank of Canada Museum’s collection has a new addition: an artwork called Free Ride by Frank Shebageget. But why would a museum about the economy buy art?
Content type(s):
Blog posts
Subject(s):
Arts,
History
July 16, 2024
Rai: big money
By: Graham Iddon
An item is said to have cultural value when it can be directly associated with the history, people, beliefs or rituals important to a society. It’s the same with a rai—its value can be greater depending upon who authorized it, who carved it and who subsequently owned it.
Content type(s):
Blog posts
Subject(s):
Economics,
Geography,
History
Grade level(s):
Grades 11 and 12 / Secondary 5
