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| Established | 1951; 75 years ago (1951) (as California Museum of Science and Industry) 1998; 28 years ago (1998) (as California Science Center) |
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| Location | Exposition Park,Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 34°0′56″N118°17′9″W / 34.01556°N 118.28583°W /34.01556; -118.28583 |
| Type | Science museum |
| Accreditation | AAM,ASTC,AZA |
| Visitors | 1,694,000 (2022)[1] |
| Public transit access |   Expo Park/USC |
| Website | californiasciencecenter |
TheCalifornia Science Center (sometimes spelledCalifornia ScienCenter) is astate agency andscience museum located inExposition Park, Los Angeles, next to theNatural History Museum of Los Angeles County and theUniversity of Southern California. The museum includes many exhibits of aircraft and spacecraft, includingSpace ShuttleEndeavour, multiple hands-on galleries, special exhibitions, andIMAX movies.
Billed as the West Coast's largest hands-on science center, this museum is apublic-private partnership between the State of California and the California Science Center Foundation. TheCalifornia Natural Resources Agency oversees the California Science Center and theCalifornia 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," which hosts theCalifornia State Science Fair annually.
The museum's history dates back to the first California State Exhibition building, which opened inExposition Park in Los Angeles in 1912, the site of an agricultural fairground from 1872 to 1910. The brick andterra cotta building, designed by William D. Coates, Jr., state architect, and N. Ellery, state engineer,[2] displayed agriculturally-based natural resources and industrial products from across the state, includingranching, fish and game,coal mining, gold mining, oil production, andlumbering, as well as some of the state's recreational attractions.[3] After World War II, the building also featured exhibits about state science and technology industries.[4][5]
In 1951, the exhibition became the "California Museum of Science and Industry". The State Exhibition building was renamed in honor of major donor and trusteeHoward F. Ahmanson as the Howard F. Ahmanson Building.[6] The hands-on interactive exhibits included themes on agriculture, transportation, electricity, energy, industries, and minerals.[7]
In 1961, the museum opened a new science wing that featured "Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond", an exhibit sponsored byIBM and designed byCharles and Ray Eames to visually demonstrate fundamental mathematical concepts.[8][9] Interaction stations demonstrated different concepts includingcelestial mechanics, theMöbius strip, multiplication, symmetry, andprojective geometry. The original exhibit closed in 1998, and is now on display at theNew York Hall of Science.[10] The Hall of Health was added in 1968.[7]
In preparation for the1984 Summer Olympics, the museum added new exhibits on earthquakes and economics, and anIMAX theater.[11] The opening and closing ceremonies for the games were held in theLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which is adjacent to the museum.
In 1994, the museum's building was damaged by theNorthridge earthquake.[12] The California Museum of Science and Industry closed in 1996 to prepare for a new facility.
TheCalifornia 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.
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.[13][14] It was also known as Aerospace Hall but also commonly known as the California Air and Space Museum/Gallery and the SKETCH Foundation Gallery,[15] and was the first major public work of architectFrank Gehry.[16] 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.[17] In 2012 the building was listed on theCalifornia Register of Historical Resources,[18] but its future is unknown.
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.[4] This new facility would be known as theCalifornia Science Center. The original museum building closed its doors in 1996 to prepare for the new construction, which was designed byPortland, Oregon-basedZimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership.[12] The original main building (Howard F. Ahmanson building) was redesigned, which the north facade of the Science Center retains the facade of former State Exposition Building that opened to theExposition Park Rose Garden. However, the remainder of the original building was demolished.[4][19] When Phase I was completed, the museum was officially renamed as theCalifornia Science Center, and was open to the public in 1998.[12]
The grand opening of the new California Science Center, which includes:
The newEcosystems exhibit opened in 2010, allow guests to experience first-hand of the natural world.[20] Other changes included:
On April 12, 2011, the California Science Center receivedSpace ShuttleEndeavour fromNASA.[23][24][25] It arrived at the Science Center on October 14, 2016, after it made its journey through the streets of Los Angeles.[26] Before its arrival, a building was constructed to temporarily house the Space Shuttle. It was on display in the "Samuel Oschin Pavilion" until December 31, 2023. This structure was designed byZGF Architects and is planned to be replaced with the newSamuel Oschin Air and Space Center on the east side of the Science Center.[27]
With a projected cost of $425 million, theSamuel Oschin Air and Space Center broke ground on June 1, 2022. The new 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) addition was formerly titled "Worlds Beyond".[25][24][28] The new building was designed by ZGF Architects as an addition to the main science center. Construction work is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025 and will take several more years to install the artifacts and exhibits inside the building.[29] An official grand opening is not yet announced. It will house a total of 150 new exhibits.[30][31][32] Inside the new building will be include:
General Admission for the California Science Center is free for their permanent exhibition galleries, various demonstrations, and other prominent aircraft and spacecraft. There are price charges for special exhibitions, educated films shown in theirIMAX theater, and special activities that include aclimbing wall, amotion simulator, and a high-wire bicycle.
This exhibit examines the processes of life and similarities among other microscopic organisms. It is also home toBodyWorks, a 15-minute show featuring Tess, a 50-footanimatronic human body simulator, with her animated friend, Walt, demonstrating howhomeostasis works.
This two-story, 45,000-square-foot exhibit features display zones with live animals andaquariums about wildlife and adaptation in differentecosystems, including a river, desert,polar region, deep sea, ocean, island and urban areas, as well as the entire planet Earth,[33] including a 188,000-gallon kelp tank populated with more than 1,500 live fish, kelp and other marine life with an acrylic tunnel which allows guests to feel surrounded by the sea life.
This exhibit inside an Casa Del Fuego apartment building showcase the importance of fire safety, and raise awareness on what to do if ever a fire did occurs. It was developed in partnership with theChildren's Burn Foundation.
TheSamuel Oschin Air and Space Center is an upcoming expansion of the California Science Center. This building will include three multi-level galleries, spanning four floors and covering over 100,000 square feet of exhibit space. It will also house special exhibits and events, including the Space ShuttleEndeavour.
This exhibit examines the environment humans build to meet their needs for structures and transportation. It features an earthquake simulator shows the safety features used to construct the Science Center; and nearby hands-on exhibits demonstrate liquefaction and how reinforced vs. non-reinforced construction can determine the sturdiness of a structure.
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The Center received 1,694,000 visitors in 2022, making the tenthmost-visited museum in the United States.
The center has been accredited by theAmerican Alliance of Museums and theAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums, and is a member of theAssociation of Science and Technology Centers. The museum is also an affiliate in theSmithsonian Affiliations program.[37]
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.*
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."
Space ShuttleEndeavour (OV-105) | ||
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