Science Center of Iowa
The main entrance to the Science Center of Iowa | |
Location within Iowa | |
| Location | 401 W Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway Des Moines, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°34′57″N 93°37′19″W / 41.5826°N 93.6219°W |
| Website | https://www.sciowa.org/ |
The Science Center of Iowa is a science museum located in Des Moines, Iowa.
The museum opened in 1970 in Greenwood-Ashworth Park and was called the Des Moines Center of Science and Industry.[1] It was renamed the Science Center of Iowa in 1985.[1] It moved to its current location in 2005.[1]
Origins
The construction of the Des Moines Center of Science and Industry was initially sponsored by the Junior League of Des Moines. The first location seriously considered was Union Park, a park in the East side of Des Moines on the Des Moines River. In 1965, fund raising began in earnest, with an anonymous $100,000 donation and $30,000 from the Junior League.[2][3] In 1969, the Des Moines City Council proposed, and the Des Moines Park Board unanimously approved, constructing the museum on a 4.5 acre tract within Greenwood-Ashworth Park (the park in which the Des Moines Art Center was also located). The proposed cost was $900,000.[4]
The Junior League donated an additional $10,000 for the construction of a Foucault pendulum, suspended on a 65 foot long wire.[3]
The museum contained the Sargent Planetarium, which could seat 135 people under a 40 foot dome. An image of the night sky was projected by a $27,000 Spitz A4 projector. The full cost of the planetarium was $50,000.[5][6]
The museum's first director was Robert Bridigum,[5] the planetarium's first director was Herb Schwartz,[7] and Bill Synhorst was the first exhibit director.[8]
In 2005, the Science Center moved to a new downtown location.
Exhibits at the Greenwood-Ashworth Park location
Among the museum's earliest exhibits was a 5-foot 8-inch tall Transparent Anatomical Mannequin.[9]
A Challenger Learning Center spaceflight simulator was opened in April 1992.[10][11]
In "The Den" small live animals (fish, snakes, etc.) native to Iowa were displayed.[12]
Exhibits
A new LEGO-based exhibit opened in September 2018.[13]
The Science Center's planetarium has a 50-foot display.[14] The IMAX theater closed in 2018 due to storm damage.[15] On August 24, 2022 Curt Simmons, the president of the Science Center, announced that the IMAX theater would not be re-opened, and the space would be repurposed for other exhibits.[16]
References
- ^ a b c "About SCI | Science Center". Science Center of Iowa.
- ^ "Coming Attractions". Des Moines Tribune. Cowles family. October 7, 1966. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Where Iowans Can Live in the Present, Project the Future". Des Moines Tribune. Cowles family. March 9, 1970. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Shane, George (February 10, 1969). "Science Site In Ashworth Is Criticized". Des Moines Tribune. Cowles family. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Public Show Set at New Planetarium". Des Moines Register. Cowles family. November 8, 1970. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Knauth, Otto (November 29, 1970). "Our New Science Center -- To Inspire the Young and Inform the Old". The Des Moines Register. Cowles family. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ "Show Planned at Planetarium". The Des Moines Register. Cowles family. June 30, 1972. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ Corcoran, Charles (September 29, 1976). "Meet a computer - it's simple". Des Moines Tribune. Cowles family. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ "New Exhibit". Des Moines Tribune. Cowles family. April 23, 1975. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ Beeman, Perry (October 2, 1991). "Science Center plans 'practice' space facility". The Des Moines Register. Cowles family. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ Beeman, Perry (April 4, 1992). "McAuliffe kin visits new center". The Des Moines Register. Gannett. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ "Science Unit Adds Exhibit". The Des Moines Register. Cowles Family. October 16, 1974. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
- ^ "Exclusive: Science Center of Iowa Announces New Permanent Lego Exhibit". whotv.com. August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Planetarium | Science Center". Science Center of Iowa.
- ^ Rossi, Mario (July 6, 2018). "Storms close IMAX theater at Science Center of Iowa". WEAREIOWA.
- ^ "1 big scoop: Blank IMAX will not return". Axios. August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.