California Science Center

Coordinates: 34°0′56″N 118°17′9″W / 34.01556°N 118.28583°W / 34.01556; -118.28583
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
California Institute of Science
.

California Science Center
ASTC, AZA
Visitors1,694,000 (2022)[1]
Public transit access E Line  Expo Park/USC
Websitecaliforniasciencecenter.org

The California Science Center (sometimes spelled California ScienCenter) is a

public-private partnership between the State of California and the California Science Center Foundation. The California Natural Resources Agency oversees the California Science Center and the California African American Museum
. Founded in 1951 as the "California Museum of Science and Industry", the Museum was remodeled and renamed in 1998 as the "California Science Center". The California Science Center hosts the
California State Science Fair
annually.

Admission is free for their permanent exhibition galleries, such as the Space Shuttle Endeavour and other prominent aircraft and spacecraft, and to various demonstrations. There are price charges for special exhibitions, educated films shown in their IMAX theater, and special activities that include a climbing wall, a motion simulator, and a high-wire bicycle.

Attendance

The Center received 1,694,000 visitors in 2022, making it 6th in the List of most-visited museums in the United States and the most-visited U.S. science museum.[2]

Affiliations

The center has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is a member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers. The museum is also an affiliate in the Smithsonian Affiliations program.[3]

Current permanent exhibits

Ecosystems

The two-story, 45,000-square-foot exhibit features display zones with live animals and

polar region, deep sea, ocean, island and urban areas, as well as the entire planet Earth.[4]

Creative World

An area with hands-on activities and exhibits that explore innovation and invention, with themes involving construction, energy and transportation.

World of Life

Examines the processes of life and similarities among organisms, including food, body organs like the heart and brain, senses, defenses against threats, how living things reproduce which includes a hatching chick display, DNA, and microscopic organisms.

A titan arum (Amorphophallus titanum) flower is now on loan from the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens.

This exhibit is also home to the BodyWorks Theater, a 15-minute show, which features Tess, a 50-foot animatronic human body simulator, with her animated friend, Walt, has they demonstrates how homeostasis works.

Air & Space

Space Shuttle Endeavour in the temporary Samuel Oschin Pavilion (Feb 2023)
The Gemini 11 space capsule, flown in 1966

Spacecraft

Aircraft

  • Douglas DC-8
    jetliner
  • Lockheed F-104D Starfighter
  • Lockheed A-12 Oxcart two-seater trainer, Serial Number 60-6927 “Titanium Goose”
  • Replica Bell X-1 (movie prop from The Right Stuff)
  • 1902 Wright Glider replica
  • 1929 Velie Monocoupe
  • Northrop T-38 Talon
    Jet Trainer, Serial Number 58-1196
  • Northrop F-20 Tigershark
  • McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet
    Serial Number 161725

Robotic spacecraft

  • Engineering prototype for
    Viking Lander
  • Cassini-Huygens
     planetary probe (replica)
  • Pioneer 10 planetary probe (replica)
  • Mariner IV
    planetary probe (replica)
  • Pioneer-Venus planetary probe (replica)

History

Apollo–Soyuz Test Project
displayed in the center's crewed spaceflight exhibit

State Exhibition

The museum's history dates back to the first California State Exhibition building, which opened in

lumbering, as well as some of the state's recreational attractions.[8] After World War II, the building also featured exhibits about state science and technology industries.[9][10]

California Museum of Science and Industry

In 1951, the exhibition became the "California Museum of Science and Industry". The State Exhibition building was renamed in honor of major donor and trustee

Howard F. Ahmanson as the Howard F. Ahmanson Building.[11] The hands-on interactive exhibits included themes on agriculture, transportation, electricity, energy, industries, and minerals.[12]

In 1961, the museum opened a new science wing that featured "Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond", an exhibit sponsored by IBM and designed by Charles and Ray Eames to visually demonstrate fundamental mathematical concepts.[13][14] Interaction stations demonstrated different concepts including celestial mechanics, the Möbius strip, multiplication, symmetry, and projective geometry. The original exhibit closed in 1998, and is now on display at the New York Hall of Science.[15]

The Hall of Health was added in 1968.[12]

1984 changes

In preparation for the 1984 Summer Olympics, the museum added new exhibits on earthquakes and economics, and an IMAX theatre.[16] The opening and closing ceremonies for the games were held in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is adjacent to the museum.

California African American Museum

The California African American Museum was founded in 1981 and housed in the California Museum of Science and Industry building until 1984, when its own facility was opened adjacent to the California Aerospace Museum.

1990s and closing

In 1994, the museum's building was damaged by the Northridge earthquake.[17] The California Museum of Science and Industry closed in 1996 to prepare for a new facility.

California Aerospace Museum

Former California Aerospace Museum (now closed) was designed by Frank Gehry, and displayed a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

The "California Aerospace Museum" was also opened in 1984 adjacent to and operated by the California Museum of Science and Industry to coincide with the Summer Olympics.[18][19] It was also known as Aerospace Hall but also commonly known as the California Air and Space Museum/Gallery and the SKETCH Foundation Gallery,[20] and was the first major public work of architect Frank Gehry.[21] The museum focused on the State's history as a leader in the aviation and aerospace industries and featured a giant, hangar-like space with aircraft and space vehicles and artifacts.

The building, now known as the Air and Space Gallery, was closed in 2011.[22] In 2012 the building was listed on the California Register of Historical Resources,[23] but its future is unknown.

Transformation to California Science Center

In 1988 the museum's leadership began a to develop a three-phase, 25-year master plan to transform the institution from a science museum to a science education facility.[9] This new facility would be known as the California Science Center. The original museum building closed its doors in 1996 to prepare for the new construction.

Phase I

Lockheed A-12 "Archangel," nicknamed "Titanium Goose," on display outside the California Science Center

The new construction was designed by

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership.[17]
Changes included:

Phase I was completed and opened in 1998, when the museum was opened and officially renamed the California Science Center.[17]

Phase II

Space Shuttle Endeavour

In 2011, NASA awarded the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour to the Science Center.[28] In 2012, they opened a steel structure known as the "Samuel Oschin Pavilion" to temporary house the Space Shuttle. The structure was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership and is planned to be replaced by the new Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center on the east side of the Science Center.[29] In, 2015, NASA donated its last remaining external tank to the Science Center.[30] In 2020, Northrop Grumman have donated a pair of solid rocket boosters to the Science Center.[31]

Phase III

  • Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center - planned to open in 2025, the 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) addition was formerly titled "Worlds Beyond".[32][33] The ZGF designed addition is currently under construction. It will house a total of 150 new exhibits, including the permanent home of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.[34] The center will include a shuttle gallery, which will permanently house the Space Shuttle, an air gallery that will house 20 airplanes, and a space gallery.[35][36][37]

Gallery

  • View of entire building
    View of entire building
  • Entrance to California Science Center, with IMAX Theater at the left
    Entrance to California Science Center, with IMAX Theater at the left
  • IMAX Theater at the California Science Center
    IMAX Theater at the California Science Center
  • Roof trusses above third floor
    Roof trusses above third floor
  • Roof above third floor
    Roof above third floor

See also

References

  1. ^ TEA-AECOM Museum Index. June 14 2023
  2. ^ TEA-AECOM Museum Index, published June 14, 2023
  3. ^ "California Science Center". Affiliate Detail. Smithsonian Affiliations. 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  4. ^ "California Science Center Opens New Ecosystems Experience". California Science Center. March 8, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  5. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (December 31, 2023). "End of year, end of exhibit: Space shuttle Endeavour goes off view for a few years". Space.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  6. ^ Alicia Chang (October 14, 2012). "Space shuttle Endeavour arrives at Los Angeles museum after 12-mile trip across city". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. Retrieved March 6, 2016. Historical Notes The State Exposition Building, designed by William D. Coates, Jr., state architect, and N. Ellery, state engineer, opened in 1912 and housed simple, agriculturally based displays of natural resources and industrial products from across the state.*
  8. ^ "Postacard: The California State Exposition Building, Exposition Park". Card Cow. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d "Our Past". California Science Center. June 18, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  10. ^ Federal Writers' Project, The WPA Guide to California: The Golden State
  11. ^ "History". The Ahmanson Foundation. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  12. ^ a b "The Story of the California Museum of Science and Industry". California State Science Fair Historical Information. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Popularizing Math and Science". IBM at 100: Icons of Progress. March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2016. Arguably, the signature example of their efforts for IBM was Mathematica, the first interactive exhibit to make math its subject. Planning a new science wing to debut in 1961, the California Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles asked IBM for a contribution. The company turned to the Eameses, who designed a display that, in the words of Charles Eames, would "let the fun [of math and science] out of the bag."
  14. ^ "ReAppreciating Mathematica". Humantific New york. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  15. ^ "Mathematica". New York Hall of Science. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  16. ^ "California Museum of Science and Industry1951-1996". Whimsical Will. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Nicolai Ouroussoff (February 2, 1998). "The new California Science Center is a commanding presence and unifying element at a neglected site". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  18. ^ "California Aerospace Museum, Exposition Park". Marry Anne Sullivan, Bluffton University. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  19. ^ "California Aerospace Museum, Los Angeles, California". Knowlton School of Architecture, Ohio State University. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  20. ^ California Aerospace Museum, California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation, January 24, 2012
  21. ^ "Air and Space Gallery, California Science Center". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  22. ^ "Perishable! Gehry's Air and Space Gallery in limbo at California Science Center". The Architects Newspaper. July 6, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  23. ^ "Recommendation Report" (PDF). Los Angeles Department of City Planning. June 7, 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  24. ^ "Add to Board WS ZO View of historical façade of former State Exposition Building now called the California Science Center in Exposition Park Los Angeles / Los Angeles, California, USA". Getty Images. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  25. ^ "Ecosystem in spotlight at California Science Center". San Jose Mercury News. March 25, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  26. ^ Bianca Barrigan (October 3, 2014). "Cornerspotted: The Old Armory Building in Exposition Park". Curbed Los Angeles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  27. ^ "Official site". Dr. Theodore T. Alexander Jr. Science Center School. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  28. ^ Stanglin, Douglas (April 12, 2011). "NYC, L.A., Kennedy Space Center, Smithsonian to get the 4 retired space shuttles". USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  29. ^ "Space Container - Inside the California Science Center's temporary home for the space shuttle Endeavour". The Architects Newspaper. December 11, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  30. ^ "NASA gives California Science Center museum last remaining space shuttle fuel tank". LA Times. May 28, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  31. ^ Evans, Ben (September 20, 2020). "Northrop Grumman Donates Flight-Proven SRBs to Endeavour Exhibit at CSC - AmericaSpace". AmericaSpace. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  32. ^ "EndeavourLA Campaign". California Science Center. June 19, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  33. ^ Emily Lakdawalla (April 13, 2011). "Congratulations to the California Science Center on getting Space Shuttle Endeavour!". The Planetary Society. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  34. ^ "California Science Center Breaks Ground on Future Home of Space Shuttle Endeavour". The Hollywood Reporter. June 2022.
  35. ^ "Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center".
  36. ^ "Groundbreaking held for permanent home of former space work horse". June 8, 2022.
  37. ^ "Groundbreaking sets stage for space shuttle Endeavour launch-like display".

Further reading

External links

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