A recent $23 million central plant renovation has been keeping museum personnel busy as well. The museum was constructed in the 1920s and still had its original high-pressure steam boilers in place. These boilers, along with the chillers that were installed in the early 1970s, were becoming more inefficient with every passing year. Not to mention that the reliability of the plant was becoming a bigger issue.
In September 2001, construction began to enlarge the existing central plant, followed by a total replacement of the major heating and cooling systems at the museum. In addition to the new boilers and chillers, a thermal ice storage system was installed to reduce the cost of electric consumption. The major work on the central plant was completed in late 2003.