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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