Living A Real-Life Night (And Day) At The Museum

Since its founding in 1869, the American Museum of Natural History, located on Central Park West, has become one of the world’s preeminent institutions dedicated to scientific research and education. It spans four city blocks and holds over 34 million specimens and cultural artifacts.

While those in charge are busy advancing the organization’s global mission to discover, interpret, and disseminate knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe, Museum Maintainer Peter Zacharczuk has been on a mission to keep all things plumbing-related running smoothly.

Although the modest museum worker says he was caught off guard by his award, he acknowledges that over the course of 23 years, he has always been on time, and in some instances has been the only one in the building who knew how to shut the water off in an emergency.

“There are quite a few of those. I came in one morning, and the flood was already happening; water going down three floors, so the day started off hectic. That was one of the big ones,” with water pouring into the public hall with the dinosaur exhibits and then into one of the lower-level rhino displays.

The plumbing professional cites worsening weather and the fact that some of the museum is below street level, making it susceptible to downpours.

Of the curators, he says, “They’ve learned over the years to move their artifacts to higher floors.”

Zacharczuk trained to repair refrigeration in the U.S. Navy in the early ‘90s. When he joined the History Museum, which is made up of 23-plus interconnected buildings, he did so as a night shift security guard. He then spent the first two years of employment attending school during the day for heating, ventilation and air conditioning to get his license. He was then invited to work in the organization’s plumbing department.

Although Zacharczuk admits that plumbing is plumbing regardless of where you do it, he’s glad to have made his career in this iconic, amazing place. “This is a great landmark. It’s like, one of the top five in New York City.”

Balancing his nonstop days are the “peaceful and quiet” times after hours, when all the people are gone, and it’s just the staff and the dinosaurs, Zacharczuk’s favorite exhibit. “I came here as a kid, and I grew up with the TV show, Land of the Lost, so I like the T. Rexes.”

He also enjoys going to hockey games, spending time with his wife, seeing Broadway shows, and traveling a couple of times a year. “I’m also a sci-fi buff.”

No wonder he’s had such a long and successful career at a place known for science and culture.