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this linked to a Laura Owens who lives in Massachusetts and was born in 1970.
 
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{{Short description|Museum in North Carolina}}
{{Advert|date=March 2019}}{{infobox Museum
{{Infobox museum
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|name= Discovery Place Science
|image=
| name = Discovery Place Science
| native_name =
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|established= 1981
| native_name_lang =
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|location= 301 N. Tryon Street, [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], United States
| logo = Discovery_Place_Science_Logo.svg
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|visitors= 520,000 (as of 2009)
| logo_upright =
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|director= Catherine Wilson Horne
| logo_alt =
|curator=
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|website= [http://www.discoveryplace.org// Discovery Place]
| image =
|former_name=Discovery Place|type=Science Museum
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| coordinates = {{coord|35|13|46|N|80|50|27|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
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| former_name = Discovery Place
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| established = 1981
| dissolved =
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| location = 301 N. Tryon Street<br/>[[Charlotte, North Carolina]]<br/>United States
| type = Science Museum
| accreditation =
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| collection_size =
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| visitors = 520,000 (as of 2009)
| founder =
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| director = Catherine Wilson Horne
| president =
| ceo =
| chairperson =
| curator =
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| publictransit = {{rint|tram}} [[Tryon Street station|Tryon Street]]
| parking = <!-- or |car_park= -->
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| website = {{URL|https://discoveryplace.org/}}
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'''Discovery Place Science''' is a science and technology museum for visitors of all ages located in the [[Uptown Charlotte|Uptown]] area of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. Discovery Place Science brings science to life through hands-on interactive exhibits, thrilling activities and experiments, an IMAX Dome Theatre, and boundless other educational opportunities and programs. The Museum, which first opened in 1981, underwent an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation in 2010 that transformed it into a reimagined state-of-the-art science and technology museum.


Discovery Place Science also operates an IMAX Dome Theatre, sometimes referred to as an [[OMNIMAX]] theatre. Discovery Place's Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre offers an immersive, up-close movie experience in the largest IMAX Dome Theatre in the Carolinas.
'''Discovery Place Science''' is a science and technology museum, located in [[Uptown Charlotte|Uptown]], Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place Science operates The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theater, also referred to as an [[OMNIMAX]] theater. It is the largest IMAX Dome Theater in the Carolinas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Explore the Museum |url=https://science.discoveryplace.org/explore |website=Discovery Place |publisher=Discovery Place |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref>

The museum opened in 1981 and was renovated in 2010. The [[IMAX]] Dome was opened in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |title=Our History |url=https://www.discoveryplace.org/about/history |website=Discovery Place |publisher=Discovery Place |access-date=3 July 2021}}</ref> The theater-naming rights were secured by ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]''.


[[Image:Discovery Place-27527-1.jpg|276px|thumb|right|Discovery Place's main entrance from Tryon Street in [[Uptown Charlotte]]]]
[[Image:Discovery Place-27527-1.jpg|276px|thumb|right|Discovery Place's main entrance from Tryon Street in [[Uptown Charlotte]]]]


== Rebranding ==
==Rebranding==
In 2016, on the organization's 70th anniversary, the Discovery Place network of museums underwent rebranding for naming clarity. The Discovery Place moniker now refers to the 501(c)3 non-profit and network of museums as a whole. The Uptown Charlotte location: Discovery Place became Discovery Place Science. The [[Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)|Freedom Park]] location in Charlotte: Charlotte Nature Museum became [[Discovery Place Nature]] and the facilities in [[Huntersville, North Carolina]] and [[Rockingham, North Carolina]] retained their names: Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville and Discovery Place Kids-Rockingham.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brand New: Discovery Place Unveils New Branding Initiative in Celebration of 70 Years of Science in the Carolinas |url=https://www.discoveryplace.org/about/press/releases/brand-new-discovery-place-unveils-new-branding-initiative-in-celebration-of-70-years-of-science-in-the-carolinas |website=Discovery Place |publisher=Discovery Place |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref>
⚫
In 2016, the organization became known as '''Discovery Place''', consisting of three Museum brands: '''Discovery Place Science (formerly Discovery Place)''' in uptown Charlotte''', Discovery Place Nature''' (formerly Charlotte Nature Museum) in Freedom Park and '''Discovery Place Kids''' in Huntersville and Rockingham. Additionally, the organization provides extensive professional development through the Education Studio and educational programming throughout the community through its outreach program.


==History==
==History==
The museum traces its history to 1946, and the foundation of a small museum on Cecil Street, Charlotte, by Laura Owens, a schoolteacher. The popularity of this museum led to the foundation of the Children's Nature Center adjacent to the new [[Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)|Freedom Park]]. This museum opened in 1951, with a focus on bringing families and nature together. It further expanded in 1965 to include a planetarium. By the 1970s, it had been renamed the Charlotte Nature Museum.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Discovery Place |url=https://www.discoveryplace.org/about/history |access-date=2022-06-02 |website=www.discoveryplace.org |language=en-US}}</ref>


At this time, interest in science education was growing, in part due to the [[Space Race|space race]] between the United States and the [[Soviet Union]]. The community of Charlotte approved funding and plans for a comprehensive hands-on science and technology center, and it was decided to locate the new museum on North Tryon Street to encourage development in uptown Charlotte and maximize access in the growing city.
The story begins in 1946 with a school teacher named Laura Owens.


⚫
This new museum opened in 1981, known as Discovery Place with {{convert|72000|sqft}} of space. Its first director was Russell Peithman. The facility expanded as the needs of the community grew. In 1986, exhibition space was added to accommodate traveling exhibitions and, in 1991, ''The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre'' opened as the first giant-screen motion picture theatre in the Carolinas.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}} The Carol Grotnes Belk Education and Parking Complex was completed in 1996. In 2010, Discovery Place was significantly redeveloped, with an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation.{{cn|date=April 2023}}
Friends, colleagues, parents and community members had been bringing her objects, live animals and specimens from the natural world, and she decided that her students needed a hands-on environment in which to observe and learn about these things. With help from the community, she opened a small museum on Cecil Street in Charlotte.


The museum has continued to grow with the expansion of the community, and the first Discovery Place Kids museum was opened in 2010 in [[Huntersville, North Carolina|Huntersville]], North Carolina. Through [[Public–private partnership|public-private partnerships]], the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids that opened in 2013 in [[Rockingham, North Carolina|Rockingham]], North Carolina.
Ms. Owens’ small experiment was so well-received that soon the community, led by the Junior League of Charlotte and the Lions Club, worked with Mecklenburg County to develop a new Children’s Nature Center. The building was situated on property adjacent to the new Freedom Park, which allowed for access to the outside and the wonders of the natural world.


In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at [[Bank of America]] STEM Center for Career Development opened on the museum's uptown campus.
When the new Museum opened in 1951, it was one of the first facilities in the Southeast focused on bringing families and nature together. Its new hands-on approach to science and nature education was embraced by the community, and in 1965, the Museum opened a planetarium to begin educating students about the skies above. Students traveled from all over the state to learn about the night sky.


⚫
In 2016, the organization rebranded as '''Discovery Place''', consisting of three brands: '''Discovery Place Science''' in uptown Charlotte''', Discovery Place Nature''' in Freedom Park and '''Discovery Place Kids''' in Huntersville and Rockingham. Additionally, the organization provides professional development through the Education Studio and educational programming through its community outreach program.
By the 1970s, Charlotte Nature Museum had grown into one of the most popular attractions in town, and its leaders were intent on expanding its reach and scope. Interest in science education was growing, spurred on by a post-Sputnick Soviet Union. The community responded to the demand for quality science education by approving funding and plans for a comprehensive hands-on science and technology center. Seeking to provide access for a growing Charlotte and to encourage uptown development, leaders decided to locate the new Museum on North Tryon Street.

In 1981, a new museum known as Discovery Place opened its doors at 301 North Tryon Street with 72,000 square feet of space. Its first director was Russell Peithman.

⚫
As the needs of the community grew, the facility expanded. In 1986, exhibition space was added to accommodate traveling exhibitions and in 1991 ''The Charlotte Observer IMAX® Dome Theatre'' opened as the first giant-screen motion picture theatre in the Carolinas. The Carol Grotnes Belk Education and Parking Complex was completed in 1996. In 2010, Discovery Place was completely transformed, with an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation, resulting in a re-imagined Museum with all-new interactive exhibitions and state-of-the-art labs that allowed the public to engage in real-world science problem solving.

With the region continuing to grow, Discovery Place followed suit, opening the first Discovery Place Kids museum in 2010 in Huntersville, NC. Planned as a network of community-based children’s museums, Discovery Place Kids aspires to maximize the whole child by offering imaginative environments that encourage learning through play. Through unique public-private partnerships, the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids opened in 2013 in Rockingham, NC.

As the learning needs of the Charlotte region continued to expand, Discovery Place made a commitment to training the region’s educators to be inspired and inspiring teachers of STEM education. In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development opened on the Museum’s uptown campus. The program is dedicated to educator professional development with a goal of advancing student and teacher attitudes and achievements in STEM.

In 2016, the organization became known as '''Discovery Place''', consisting of three Museum brands: '''Discovery Place Science''' in uptown Charlotte''', Discovery Place Nature''' in Freedom Park and '''Discovery Place Kids''' in Huntersville and Rockingham. Additionally, the organization provides extensive professional development through the Education Studio and educational programming throughout the community through its outreach program.


==Discovery Place Nature==
==Discovery Place Nature==
Discovery Place operates [[Discovery Place Nature]], formerly Charlotte Nature Museum, located at 1658 Sterling Road, adjacent to [[Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina)|Freedom Park]]. The Museum features interactive nature exhibits and live animal displays, including a [[butterfly]] pavilion, live species, [[insects]] and a variety of native North Carolina animals.
Discovery Place operates [[Discovery Place Nature]], formerly Charlotte Nature Museum, adjacent to Freedom Park and the [[Little Sugar Creek Greenway]]. Interactive nature exhibits and live animal displays, including a butterfly pavilion, live species, [[insects]] and a variety of native North Carolina animals are subjects to learn.


==Discovery Place Kids==
==Discovery Place Kids==
In Fall 2010, Discovery Place opened its first Discovery Place Kids Museum in [[Huntersville, North Carolina]].<ref name="hunt">{{Cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/23/1450528/discovery-place-kids-nears-its.html|title=Discovery Place Kids nears its fall opening|accessdate=2010-06-14|date=2010-05-23|work=The Charlotte Observer}}</ref><ref name="Rohan">{{Cite web|url=https://returntimes.com/category/entertainment/|title=Entertainment|date=2019-11-26|work=Return Times}}</ref> Part of a larger vision to develop other Discovery Place Kids locations across the region,<ref name="rock">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wsoctv.com/sponsors/25181967/detail.html|title=Discovery Place Announces Discovery Place KIDS Rockingham|accessdate=2010-11-23|date=2010-09-27|work=WSOC-TV|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205031549/http://www.wsoctv.com/sponsors/25181967/detail.html|archivedate=2010-12-05}}</ref> Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville appeals to families with young children and offers those living in outlying suburban communities the opportunity to visit a Discovery Place Museum closer to home. An $18.7 million public-private venture between Discovery Place, Inc. and the City of Huntersville, Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville offers unique, learning-through-play experiences for young children. Through unique public-private partnerships, the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids opened in 2013 in Rockingham, NC.
In Fall 2010, Discovery Place opened its first Discovery Place Kids Museum in [[Huntersville, North Carolina]].<ref name="hunt">{{Cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/23/1450528/discovery-place-kids-nears-its.html|title=Discovery Place Kids nears its fall opening|access-date=2010-06-14|date=2010-05-23|work=The Charlotte Observer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905124702/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/23/1450528/discovery-place-kids-nears-its.html|archive-date=2012-09-05|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="hunt2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/10/22/1778614/now-opening-discovery-place-kids.html|title=Now Opening: Discovery Place Kids|access-date=2010-11-23|date=2010-10-22|work=The Charlotte Observer}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> As part of a larger vision to develop other Discovery Place Kids locations across the region,<ref name="rock">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wsoctv.com/sponsors/25181967/detail.html|title=Discovery Place Announces Discovery Place KIDS Rockingham|access-date=2010-11-23|date=2010-09-27|work=WSOC-TV|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205031549/http://www.wsoctv.com/sponsors/25181967/detail.html|archive-date=2010-12-05}}</ref> Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville aims to appeal to families with young children and offers those living in outlying suburban communities the opportunity to visit a Discovery Place museum closer to home. A $18.7 million public-private venture between Discovery Place, Inc. and the City of Huntersville, Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville aimed to offer unique, learning-through-play experiences for young children. Through unique public-private partnerships, the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids opened in 2013 in Rockingham, NC.

Discovery Place also offers off-site educational experiences to community groups and schools throughout N.C. and S.C. through its Outreach program.


== Discovery Place Education Studio ==
== Discovery Place Education Studio ==
As the learning needs of the Charlotte region continued to expand, Discovery Place made a commitment to training the region’s educators to be inspired and inspiring teachers of STEM education. In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development opened on the Museum’s uptown campus. The program is dedicated to educator professional development with a goal of advancing student and teacher attitudes and achievements in STEM.
Conforming to the learning needs of the Charlotte region, Discovery Place set a goal to train the region's educators to be inspired and inspiring teachers of STEM education.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023|reason=who said that}} In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development opened on the museum's uptown campus.


==References==
==References==
Line 56: Line 84:


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.discoveryplace.org Discovery Place] - includes Charlotte Nature Museum
* [http://www.discoveryplace.org Discovery Place] - includes Charlotte Nature museum

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{{coord|35|13|46|N|80|50|27|W|type:landmark|display=title}}


[[Category:Museums in Charlotte, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Museums in Charlotte, North Carolina]]

Latest revision as of 16:29, 29 October 2024

Discovery Place Science
Map
Former name
Discovery Place
Established1981
Location301 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, North Carolina
United States
Coordinates35°13′46″N 80°50′27″W / 35.22944°N 80.84083°W / 35.22944; -80.84083
TypeScience Museum
Visitors520,000 (as of 2009)
DirectorCatherine Wilson Horne
Public transit accessTram interchange Tryon Street
Websitediscoveryplace.org

Discovery Place Science is a science and technology museum, located in Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina. Discovery Place Science operates The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theater, also referred to as an OMNIMAX theater. It is the largest IMAX Dome Theater in the Carolinas.[1]

The museum opened in 1981 and was renovated in 2010. The IMAX Dome was opened in 1991.[2] The theater-naming rights were secured by The Charlotte Observer.

Discovery Place's main entrance from Tryon Street in Uptown Charlotte

Rebranding

[edit]

In 2016, on the organization's 70th anniversary, the Discovery Place network of museums underwent rebranding for naming clarity. The Discovery Place moniker now refers to the 501(c)3 non-profit and network of museums as a whole. The Uptown Charlotte location: Discovery Place became Discovery Place Science. The Freedom Park location in Charlotte: Charlotte Nature Museum became Discovery Place Nature and the facilities in Huntersville, North Carolina and Rockingham, North Carolina retained their names: Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville and Discovery Place Kids-Rockingham.[3]

History

[edit]

The museum traces its history to 1946, and the foundation of a small museum on Cecil Street, Charlotte, by Laura Owens, a schoolteacher. The popularity of this museum led to the foundation of the Children's Nature Center adjacent to the new Freedom Park. This museum opened in 1951, with a focus on bringing families and nature together. It further expanded in 1965 to include a planetarium. By the 1970s, it had been renamed the Charlotte Nature Museum.[4]

At this time, interest in science education was growing, in part due to the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The community of Charlotte approved funding and plans for a comprehensive hands-on science and technology center, and it was decided to locate the new museum on North Tryon Street to encourage development in uptown Charlotte and maximize access in the growing city.

This new museum opened in 1981, known as Discovery Place with 72,000 square feet (6,700 m2) of space. Its first director was Russell Peithman. The facility expanded as the needs of the community grew. In 1986, exhibition space was added to accommodate traveling exhibitions and, in 1991, The Charlotte Observer IMAX Dome Theatre opened as the first giant-screen motion picture theatre in the Carolinas.[citation needed] The Carol Grotnes Belk Education and Parking Complex was completed in 1996. In 2010, Discovery Place was significantly redeveloped, with an 18-month, $31.6 million renovation.[citation needed]

The museum has continued to grow with the expansion of the community, and the first Discovery Place Kids museum was opened in 2010 in Huntersville, North Carolina. Through public-private partnerships, the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids that opened in 2013 in Rockingham, North Carolina.

In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development opened on the museum's uptown campus.

In 2016, the organization rebranded as Discovery Place, consisting of three brands: Discovery Place Science in uptown Charlotte, Discovery Place Nature in Freedom Park and Discovery Place Kids in Huntersville and Rockingham. Additionally, the organization provides professional development through the Education Studio and educational programming through its community outreach program.

Discovery Place Nature

[edit]

Discovery Place operates Discovery Place Nature, formerly Charlotte Nature Museum, adjacent to Freedom Park and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway. Interactive nature exhibits and live animal displays, including a butterfly pavilion, live species, insects and a variety of native North Carolina animals are subjects to learn.

Discovery Place Kids

[edit]

In Fall 2010, Discovery Place opened its first Discovery Place Kids Museum in Huntersville, North Carolina.[5][6] As part of a larger vision to develop other Discovery Place Kids locations across the region,[7] Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville aims to appeal to families with young children and offers those living in outlying suburban communities the opportunity to visit a Discovery Place museum closer to home. A $18.7 million public-private venture between Discovery Place, Inc. and the City of Huntersville, Discovery Place Kids-Huntersville aimed to offer unique, learning-through-play experiences for young children. Through unique public-private partnerships, the network continues to expand with a second Discovery Place Kids opened in 2013 in Rockingham, NC.

Discovery Place Education Studio

[edit]

Conforming to the learning needs of the Charlotte region, Discovery Place set a goal to train the region's educators to be inspired and inspiring teachers of STEM education.[citation needed] In 2014, Discovery Place Education Studio at Bank of America STEM Center for Career Development opened on the museum's uptown campus.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Explore the Museum". Discovery Place. Discovery Place. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Our History". Discovery Place. Discovery Place. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Brand New: Discovery Place Unveils New Branding Initiative in Celebration of 70 Years of Science in the Carolinas". Discovery Place. Discovery Place. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  4. ^ "History | Discovery Place". www.discoveryplace.org. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  5. ^ "Discovery Place Kids nears its fall opening". The Charlotte Observer. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  6. ^ "Now Opening: Discovery Place Kids". The Charlotte Observer. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2010-11-23.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "Discovery Place Announces Discovery Place KIDS Rockingham". WSOC-TV. 2010-09-27. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
[edit]
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