Carnegie Science Center

Last updated

Kamin Science Center
KSC Logo Primary-Horizontal-Full-Color-rgb.png
Pittsburgh locator map 2018.png
Red pog.svg
Location of Kamin Science Center in Pennsylvania
EstablishedOctober 5, 1991
LocationOne Allegheny Ave.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°26′44″N80°01′05″W / 40.445614°N 80.018181°W / 40.445614; -80.018181
Type Science museum,
Technology museum
Visitors476,000 [1]
DirectorJason Brown
Nearest parkingOn site (paid) and street
Website kaminsciencecenter.org

Kamin Science Center, [2] [ needs update ] formerly, Carnegie Science Center, is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Chateau [3] neighborhood. It is located across the street from Acrisure Stadium.

Contents

Overview

Kamin Science Center is the most visited museum in Pittsburgh, and is located along the Ohio River on the North Shore. It has five floors of interactive exhibits totaling over 400 exhibits, and attracts nearly 500,000 visitors each year. [1] [4] Among its attractions are the Buhl Planetarium (which features the latest in digital projection technology), the Rangos Giant Theater (promoted as "the biggest screen in Pittsburgh"), a physical home for some of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robot Hall of Fame (in the lobby of the Rangos Giant Cinema), [5] the Miniature Railroad & Village, and the USS Requin (a World War II submarine).

Updates

According to Nicholas Efran, "Kamin Science Center has been a gathering place for kids and families for many years." However, currently there are many new exhibits that staff are "Not able to include because of the smaller size of the building" [6] In June 2018, the museum's new wing opened, allowing the museum to host new and larger exhibits.

In August 2021, the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment extended the center's use of its 450-space parking lot until 2026, at which point it will need to significantly reduce the space number to 75 spaces to conform to zoning regulations. [7]

In October 2021, the center received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Communities for Immunity initiative because of its support of vaccine confidence in the Pittsburgh community. It used the $10,000 award to contribute to its COVID-19 vaccination awareness programs. [8]

In June 2022, § Roboworld closed. Some of the inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame, such as C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars , Maria from Metropolis , as well as HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey , were moved to the Rangos Giant Cinema. The big, free-throw-shooting basketball robot was moved to the § SportsWorks facility. Andy Roid, the singing Robothespian that greets visitors, was moved to the Science Center’s main lobby. All other robots from the exhibit went into storage "until the Science Center decides what to do with it". [5] [9]

History

Its predecessor was the Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, which opened on October 24, 1939. The Buhl Planetarium was the fifth major planetarium in the United States, and was popular for several decades. However, by the 1980s it had begun to show signs of age. An expansion was ruled out, so the institute was relocated to the Chateau neighborhood. However, it became apparent to the Buhl Institute that the relocation efforts would require more staffing than they were able to provide. At this point, the Carnegie Institute (under the leadership of Robert Wilburn) stepped in, showing interest in merging with the Buhl Institute. Both parties agreed to the merger in 1987. On October 5, 1989, construction began on the $40 million building, designed by local architect Tasso Katselas, which was renamed the Carnegie Science Center as a result of the merger. [10] The Henry Buhl Jr. Planetarium and Observatory was reinvented in this new facility. The Center opened in October 1991. [11] On January 23, 2024, the Carnegie Science Center announced that they received a $65 million donation from Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin. In honor of the donation, they announced plans to rename the facility to the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center. [12]

E-motion cone

The E-motion cone is a white-colored, inverted cone which sits atop the Science Center building. It is referred to as the Weather Cone and was designed by New York architect Shashi Caan and lighting designer Matthew Tanteri. It was installed in 2000 with a computerized lighting system. [13] In 2008 a storm damaged the cone, thus it underwent upgrades to its lighting system with an addition of energy-efficient bulbs. [14] At night, it is lit with different colors, signalling the weather forecast from WTAE-TV for the coming day. [15] [16]

Temperature
   RedWarmer
   GreenNo change
   BlueCooler
Other
   <flashing>Precipitation
   YellowSevere weather

See also

Official website

References

  1. 1 2 "Pittsburgh Science Center announces name change after $65 million gift". WESA-FM. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Carnegie Science Center changing name after receiving $65M gift". TribLIVE. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Chateau Map". Archived from the original on July 26, 2010. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Background Information". Carnegie Science Center. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Floor Map - Carnegie Science Center". Carnegie Science Center. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Carnegie Science Center: Home". www.carnegiesciencecenter.org. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Carnegie Science Center can keep 450-space parking lot until April 2026, zoning board rules". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Carnegie Science Center receives funds to support vaccine confidence". Observer-Reporter. October 27, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ "roboworld® bids farewell". WESA. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  10. ↑ Roy Lubove (August 1995). Twentieth-century Pittsburgh: The post-steel era. University of Pittsburgh Pre. p. 188. ISBN   9780822971672 . Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Our History". Carnegie Science Center. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Carnegie Science Center changing name after receiving $65M gift". January 23, 2024.
  13. ↑ "E-Motion Cone". Carnegie Science Center. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Welcome". www.tribliveoffers.com. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ "E-Motion Cone". Carnegie Science Center. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Pittsburgh Art Places". Pittsburgh Art Places. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.