whighlander
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Scurrilous Comments about the lack of updating to the Museum of Science:I recall there being a major addition to the Museum of Science about a decade ago.
So much is and has been underway at the MOS that it deserves a thread of its own
But first a bit of history:
MOS began at the Science Park site nearly 60 years ago after selling the old building on Boylston / Newbury that it had occupied since the 1860's ? MIT and MOS formed a pair now the remnant is Louis? with the other site part of the great monolith between Arlington and Berkley, formerly known as the New England Mutual Life
The original Science Park complex consisted just of the Charles Hayden Planetarium and a two story extension along the riverfront housing the first interactive, hands-on exhibit {possibly in any science museum anywhere} of a functioning set of equipment found on a ships' bridge including a marine radar
Then in the 1960's came the iconic 6 story tower {Countway Building} with the Skyline Room and Foucault Pendulum
In the 1970's the massive 3 story West Wing and the Elihu Thompson Theatre of Electrical Science, complete with the world's largest working Van de Graff Generator {built by Prof Van de Graff himself at MIT} capable or 10 plus foot artificial lightning bolts and the huge 5 story parking garage
in the 1980's the Museum added: the curved screen Mugar Imax / Omnimax Theatre; a food court; new gift shop; new atrium near the Omni/Planetarium; revamped Planetarium; Nichols Gallery for temporary exhibits; Gilland Observatory atop the parking garage
In the 90's only incremental changes to the inside: revamped food court {now managed by Wolfgang Puck}; redesigned and expanded museum shop; addition of the suspended glass stage for the Current Science and Technology Center {now the Gordon Current Science and Technology Center ? more later on this}; new T-Rex exhibit and installation of the old one in a Godzilla-esque posture of busting through the external wall
In the early 200's the MOS hired the Denver firm of Fentress Bradbury {Marine Corps Museum, Museum of the Rockies} to do a master plan -- ultimate cost in the $350M range
So far the funds are coming in at the expected pace and the largest single grant that has been announced to-date is $20M from Bernard Gordon {founder of Analogic -- builders of the checked luggage scanners at most airports and many medical CATscanners} -- Gordon's money has manifested itself both inside the MOS existing building {revamped Current Science and Tech Center {complete with 72 inch plasma panel}, Gordon Engineering Demo Center} and sort-of outside -- a 30,000 sq ft building constructed in the ground floor of the parking garage {high ceiling permitted 2 floors} -- very very "green" construction -- lots of natural light from massive windows overlooking the Charles -- this new "wing" will house the National Center for Technological Literacy {funded by both NSF $6M and Gordon and others}
Still to come are huge changes to both the McGrath/Obrien facade and the Charles River facade including a totally new glass dome replacing the existing brick Planetarium structure
I will get a link to some renderings {and there is even a model within the MOS} -- this project will be on-going for the next 5 years -- but when completed the MOS will be nearly unrecognizable ? hint look at Fentress and Bradbury?s other work ? they like glass and grid-ed structurals almost as much as the MFA?s Foster does
Westy