Arizona Science Center has lofty ambitions, but its origins were humble

I remember going to the Arizona Science Center for the first time as a kid. In school, we were learning about simple machines, and I have a distinct memory of going to the exhibit where you pulled yourself up by a pulley. It’s still my favorite exhibit, as “simple” as it is. The concept for the Ariz

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I remember going to the Arizona Science Center for the first time as a kid. In school, we were learning about simple machines, and I have a distinct memory of going to the exhibit where you pulled yourself up by a pulley. It’s still my favorite exhibit, as “simple” as it is.

The concept for the Arizona Science Center began in 1980 with the creation of the Arizona Museum of Science & Technology. It was set to become the first dedicated hub for science education. By 1984, the Science Center had opened its doors in a 10,000-square-foot space, “tucked into the parking-garage level of the downtown Phoenix Hyatt Regency,” according to the Arizona Science Center website.

In an article by The Arizona Republic on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 1984, “Arizona’s first

museum of modern science was inaugurated Tuesday by the first American woman to venture into space.” Well, in a way, she did. The article says Sally Ride activated a robot that cut the ribbon on opening day.

According to the Science Center, it welcomed more than 87,000 visitors in its first year. It quickly outgrew the original location, proving the need for a newer, larger space.

Construction of a new building on Washington Street in downtown Phoenix began in 1994. Designed by Antoine Predock, it included a very distinctive feature: “the fin.”

Jonn Meunier, then dean of architecture at Arizona State University, told The Republic in September 1996, “To me, the fin stands for the meeting of the 20^th century with the ancient cultures of the Southwest. It slices into the forms that could be ancient in a knifelike way, so it is very stimulating.”

The grand opening for the Science Center was held on April 13, 1997, and according to reporting in The Republic, it would be “twelve times the size of the old center.”

As the years have passed, the Science Center has continued to evolve and change. Recently, it updated the planetarium to the Dorrance DOME.

Do you have a favorite Arizona Science Center experience? Share it with us.

Katherine Chircus was born and raised in Scottsdale and is a digital operations manager for The Arizona Republic. Send tips on Arizona history items to kfritcke@azcentral.com.