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Science World |
The dream of establishing a science centre in Vancouver began in 1977 under the leadership of Barbara Brink, the Junior League of Greater Vancouver and the City of Vancouver. A set of hands-on exhibits known as the ‘Extended I’ were displayed in venues around the Lower Mainland prior to the opening of the Arts, Sciences & Technology Centre on January 15, 1982. In six years, the temporary centre at the corner of Granville and Dunsmuir attracted over 600,000 visitors. Another 400,000 benefited from the centre’s outreach programs, which were delivered around the province. The demand for a permanent venue was clear; the only obstacles standing in the way were a suitable location and the securement of funding.
Following the Expo ‘86 World’s Fair, an intensive lobbying campaign was launched to secure the landmark Expo Centre building for Science World. With three levels of government backing its proposal, the Arts, Sciences and Technology Centre succeeded in persuading the provincial government to designate the fair's famous ‘golf ball’ as the new facility. The announcement was made in September 1987. A massive fund-raising campaign ensued, with donations from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments, the GVRD, the private sector, foundations and individuals contributing $19.1-million to build an addition to the Expo Centre, redesign the interior and fabricate exhibits.
In November 1996, the centre entered its first title sponsorship agreement with Alcan Inc., renaming its OMNIMAX Theatre the Alcan OMNIMAX Theatre. Science World acts as co-producer of a number of OMNIMAX films, for example The Living Sea (1996), which was nominated for an Academy® Award, Super Speedway (1997) and Everest (1998), all of which were produced in association with Science World.
With the announcement of plans for the complete ReGeneration of the facility in 1998, the Kidspace Gallery was opened in May 2001, followed by the Science Theatre and Our World Gallery in June 2002. The Main Gallery was renewed over the 2002–2003 period and became the Eureka! Gallery, thanks to the generosity of the technology community in British Columbia.
The most recent development in Science World’s ReGeneration was the opening of phase one of BodyWorks in the summer of 2004. BodyWorks is a permanent gallery devoted to the make-up and functioning of the human body. The entire BodyWorks Gallery is forecast for completion by fall of 2005.
Contact Information:
1455 Quebec Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6A 3Z7
Phone: 604 443 7443
Fax: 604 443 7430
© Source: Science World - Text and images property of respective owners.
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