California Science Center

The story

The California Science Center is a state agency and science museum in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, with the University of Southern California and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County as its neighbors.¹ Inside, you'll find aircraft and spacecraft, including Space Shuttle Endeavour, plus hands-on galleries, special exhibitions, and IMAX movies.¹

The State of California and the California Science Center Foundation run it together as a public-private partnership, and the California Natural Resources Agency provides oversight.¹

History

This museum began with the original California State Exhibition building, which first welcomed visitors in 1912 at Exposition Park, on land once used as an agricultural fairground.¹ That brick and terra cotta building, designed by state architect William D Coates, Jr and state engineer N Ellery, displayed the state's natural resources and industrial products, from ranching and mining to lumbering.¹ After World War II, it added exhibits about state science and technology industries.¹

In 1951, the exhibition took on a new name, the California Museum of Science and Industry, and the State Exhibition building was renamed the Howard F Ahmanson Building in honor of a major donor and trustee.¹ A new science wing opened in 1961 with Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond, an IBM-sponsored exhibit designed by Charles and Ray Eames.¹ The Hall of Health followed in 1968, and ahead of the 1984 Summer Olympics the museum added exhibits on earthquakes and economics along with an IMAX theater.¹

In 1994, the building was damaged by the Northridge earthquake, and the museum closed in 1996 to prepare for a new facility.¹ In 1988, the museum's leadership had begun a 25-year master plan to turn the institution into a science education facility, and the renamed California Science Center opened to the public in 1998.¹ The north facade of the Science Center still retains the facade of the former State Exposition Building, which opens onto the Exposition Park Rose Garden.¹

What to see and do

• Space Shuttle Endeavour

  NASA announced in 2011 that the Science Center would receive Endeavour, which arrived in 2012 after a journey through the streets of Los Angeles and is now being prepared in its new permanent home.¹

• World of Life

  This exhibit examines the processes of life and hosts BodyWorks, a show featuring Tess, a 50-foot animatronic human body simulator.¹

• Ecosystems

  This two-story, 45,000-square-foot exhibit has live animals and aquariums exploring river, desert, polar, deep sea, ocean, island, and urban environments.¹

• The kelp tank

  This 188,000-gallon tank is home to more than 1,500 live fish along with kelp and other sea creatures, and an acrylic tunnel puts guests right in the middle of it all.¹

• Fire! Science & Safety

  Set inside a Casa Del Fuego apartment building, this exhibit was developed with the Children's Burn Foundation to teach fire safety.¹

• Air and space collection

  The SKETCH Foundation Gallery displays historic aircraft, space vehicles, equipment, and space telescopes, alongside exhibits about the Solar System and aviation.¹

• Spacecraft up close

  The collection includes the Mercury-Redstone 2 capsule that carried Ham the chimpanzee, the Gemini 11 capsule, and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Command Module.¹

Why it matters

According to Wikipedia, the Center received 1,694,000 visitors in 2022, making it the tenth most-visited museum in the United States.¹ Holding accreditation from both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Alliance of Museums, the institution also belongs to the Association of Science and Technology Centers and participates in the Smithsonian Affiliations program as an affiliate.¹ A planned 200,000-square-foot addition, the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, will display Endeavour in a vertical launching position along with about 20 other aircraft, including a Boeing 747.¹

Getting there

The California Science Center sits in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, close to the University of Southern California and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.¹ The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics, stands adjacent to the museum.¹