I don't know anything about a previous/old ocean hall, but I do know why
they built the replica of the Right Whale that is currently exhibited.  The
SI's website provides great information about it:
http://ocean.si.edu/ocean_hall/whale_model.html
and this educator booklet is 16 pages focused completely on the whale:
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/whale/smithsonian_siyc_fall08.pdf


Good luck with your search,

Melissa Kipp
Science Museum of Long Island

On Sat, Aug 1, 2009 at 9:09 AM, Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I have a random question - in the National Museum of Natural History's
> old ocean hall, they had a life-sized replica of a blue whale. There
> was a story behind it, something like there was a real whale there at
> one time but it shrank as it dried out and the replica was made. I
> always loved that replica. In the new hall, there's a replica of a
> North Atlantic whale instead.
>
> Does anyone know why the switch was made?
>
> Deb Fuller
>
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