Discovery Museum Sites to Become Independent to Better Serve Respective Audiences

June 1, 2008 – The Discovery Museum Board of Directors announced today that, effective July 1, 2008, the Discovery Museum History Center and the Discovery Museum Science & Space Center will become independent. The two centers have been operated by a single entity, the Sacramento Museum of History, Science and Technology,also known as the Discovery Museum, since 1994. Going forward, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) will oversee the History Center.

“In the past, the centers have had to share resources, including personnel. Separation will help both centers by allowing them to grow their individual programs, improve their existing sites and focus on their specific target audiences” said Michele Wong, President of the Discovery Museum Board of Directors and President and CEO of Synergex Corporation. “This is about empowering each center to efficiently manage its site and exhibit updates.”

“Each site has a great deal to offer the public,” said Jesse Siess, Curator of the History Center.  “This separation will give both a chance to expand in ways that will bring more value to visitors.”

Both sites will continue to work at current levels. Though internal restructuring will take place, there are no plans to lay off any employees at either site.  The Science & Space Center will maintain its status as a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, and continue to work under the business title “Sacramento Museum of History Science and Technology.” The History Center will be overseen by the HOSF and will function under its 501 (c) 3.  

“The Science & Space Center is a popular destination for school trips and families, but we are short on exhibit space and several miles from downtown,” said Susan Douglas, Director of Public Programs at Science & Space Center. “By 2011, we plan to open a new site in downtown Sacramento as the Powerhouse Science Center.”

Members of the Discovery Museum Board of Directors will conduct a capital campaign for the Powerhouse Science Center. The center is slated to open in the next 2-3 years at the site of the historic PG&E building on Jibboom Street. The riverfront complex, renderings of which are available at www.thediscovery.org/renderings, will include the main building, a digital planetarium theater, several classrooms, an expanded Challenger Learning Center, a restaurant, and space for special events.

The History Center is working on plans to renovate its front lobby area. The new lobby will be a captivating starting point for the center’s visitors and will focus on the history of the City of Sacramento with its theme “Forging a New City.” Here the visitor will experience an interpretive look at the events that forged the city during the pivotal year of 1850. The Center will start construction on the lobby by February 2009.

Approximately 65,000 people visit the History Center each year. On August 8th it will open an exhibit called “Capital Brew: Hops, Barrels and Bootleggers” that explores the history of beer in the Sacramento area, its social consequences, and its economic benefits as well as limitations. The History Center is located at 101 “I” Street, in Old Sacramento and is open to the public Tuesday to Sunday and Monday holidays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (September through May) and open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (June through August).

An average of 83,000 visitors come to the Science & Space Center each year. Right now it is hosting “Space Quest!”, an exhibit that gives kids insight into what it would be like to be an astronaut. In one area, they can move “moon rocks” with bulky space suit gloves and robotic arms. In another, they can do simulated color, light, mass and density tests like the ones scientists perform aboard space shuttles. The Science & Space Center is located at 3615 Auburn Boulevard and is open to the public Tuesday to Friday and Monday holidays from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday (September through June) and open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (July-August).

The Discovery Museum of Sacramento is a family focused educational institution dedicated to enriching the lives of local residents and visitors to the Sacramento region by encouraging the exploration of history, science and space.