Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science

Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Location within Florida
Established 1949
Location 3280 South Miami Avenue
Miami, Florida, United States
Coordinates 25°44′48″N 80°12′42″W / 25.74658°N 80.21157°W / 25.74658; -80.21157
Type Science museum
Visitors 250,000 per year
Director Gillian Thomas
Curator Sean Duran
Public transit access Metrorail access at Vizcaya Station
Website Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science (formerly known as the Miami Science Museum) is a museum located in Miami, Florida USA. The 3280 S. Miami Ave. location of the museum is closed and will re-open at its new, state-of-the-art location summer 2016. The museum is currently working to transplant from its current location to Park West at Bicentennial Park in Downtown Miami, where it will join the new Pérez Art Museum Miami.

History

The Museum first started as "The Junior Museum of Miami" and was a private non-profit organization established in 1949. It was located inside a house on the corner of Biscayne Boulevard and 26th Street. The Museum grew so rapidly that in 1952 it relocated to the Miami Women's Club building on North Bayshore Drive. When it arrived at the new location it was renamed "Museum of Science and Natural History".

In 1953, the Guild of the Museum of Science was formed adding the efforts of volunteer assistance to the staff, operation of the Museum Store, as well as tours and outreach programs.

The museum began to outgrow its new home again and a special committee headed by Claire Weintraub recommended that Miami should establish a major independent science museum which could service citizens of all ages. By 1960, the first building of the community's new science museum opened its doors. The facility was located on 3 acres (12,000 m2) of the historic Vizcaya complex, and was built and furnished rent-free by the County.

Late 1966 saw the construction of a Space Transit Planetarium, which soon became the leading facility of its kind in the world. Its activities now include international television programming (see Star Gazer).

In 1989, the Museum's lease agreement with the county for the Vizcaya site was extended for 99 years. The yearly operating budget has grown to 2.5 million dollars, and the property currently totaling only 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2).

In 2001, the Miami-Dade Public Library System was one of six U.S. museum/library systems to win the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. In March 2011, Miami native Phillip Frost donated $35 million to the construction of the new science museum in Downtown Miami, hence the name. Frost's donation to the museum is one of the largest donations to Miami's cultural institutions. The new museum broke ground in early 2012, and is currently scheduled to open summer 2016. The new home of Frost Science will be located in downtown Miami.

Exhibits

The museum showcased the following exhibits:

Planetarium

The planetarium was opened on November 4, 1966. It was home to Jack Horkheimer's Star Gazer, the world’s first and only weekly television series on naked-eye astronomy.[1] The projection dome room is 65' in diameter and has seating for more than 230. It utilizes a Spitz STP (Space Transit Planetarium) star projector.

Closing of Coconut Grove Location

The Coconut Grove location of the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science closed on August 30, 2015. While closed, the museum will continue to activate in and around South Florida via its “Out & About with Frost Science” outreach program, bringing educational science experiences to the community and hosting a myriad of science-themed events.

New Location

The new Frost Science will be structured around a lushly landscaped indoor and outdoor Living Core Aquarium of terrestrial and aquatic environments, featuring a Gulf Stream Aquarium experience totaling more than 500,000 gallons of salt water. The facility will also feature the state-of-the-art, full-dome Frost Planetarium, the Knight Learning Center, Innovation Center and Cafe, and an Exploration Center featuring permanent interactive exhibits.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ Planetarium Information

External links

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