Mr. T Rex Goes to Washington

A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton bound for the Smithsonian Institution is set to arrive in Washington in April as a new home is built for the specimen on the National Mall, the museum said Friday.

The T. rex unearthed in Montana in 1988 will arrive at the National Museum of Natural History on April 15 on a 50-year loan by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Smithsonian is planning a new, 31,000-square-foot dinosaur hall that is scheduled to open in 2019.

On April 28, the museum will close the current fossil hall to begin a complete redesign and renovation of the exhibit. But museum director Kirk Johnson said dinosaurs will continue to be on view during construction.

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