| Don Harrington Discovery Center | |
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Front entrance before renovated in 2003. |
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Location in Texas
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| Location | Amarillo, Texas |
| Type | Science museum |
| Visitor figures | 425/day |
| Director | Joe Hastings |
| President | Suzanne Helfinstine |
| Website | www.dhdc.org |
Don Harrington Discovery Center is an interactive science center in Amarillo, Texas, U.S.A., targeting towards young children with hands-on science exhibits and a planetarium. The Discovery Center is located in the city's hospital district and is named after philanthropist, Don Harrington.[1]
Located in front of the Discovery Center is the Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument. The planetarium was renovated in 2003 and was implemented with the Digistar 3, fulldome video projection technology.[2]
Most of the Discovery Center's income comes from admission fees and gift shops, while the rest comes from charitable organizations such as Amarillo Area Foundation and the Harrington Foundation.[3]
The Discovery center is a member of the Association of Children's Museums Reciprocal Program and Association of Science-Technology Centers Passport Program, allowing member to receive free or reduced admission at various museums.[4]
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The Helium Centennial Time Columns Monument was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of helium.[5][6] The Time Columns Monument is a six-story high stainless steel structure containing four time capsules, three of which form the legs of the monument and one which stands erect. The capsules are intended to be opened in 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years from the date it was erected in 1968. In 1982 the Helium Monument was airlifted by helicopter from I-40 and Nelson to its current site at the Don Harrington Discovery Center. In 1993, the first time capsule was opened, on schedule, during a two-day celebration of the 25th birthday of the monument. The contents of that capsule are in the collection of the Discovery Center, and are not typically on display to the public. Among the most interesting things stored within the monument is the passbook in the 1000 year capsule to a bank account with a $10 deposit. It is projected to be worth $1 quadrillion when opened in 2968.
The monument also serves as a sun dial, its features oriented to the sun to tell the time.