The ASTC Society became the tenants, but only on the condition that they raise the operating funds themselves. The pavilion got a new addition and was fully refurbished with dozens of exhibits, five new galleries and the largest OMNIMAX dome screen in the world. to have a place in future economies, we needed to ensure a much better understanding and grasp of science and technology-and the place for that spark to happen was with school-aged children,” Brink says.īefore opening day on May 6, 1989, about $20-million was raised from private and corporate fundraising and government funds. “There was an understanding developing among government and business leaders, that in order for B.C. It had always been part of Expo’s legacy to leave the city with a children’s arts and science centre, so Brink and her society members launched a letter writing campaign and lobbied government to pony up and secure the Expo Centre for their cause. It outgrew its storefront location on Granville Street quickly, so the search was on for a permanent site. Where else could you find a Van de Graaff generator ball to make your hair stand on end, or take your Girl Guide troop for an educational overnight sleepover? Kids of all ages soon discovered that no matter how inept you might be at physics or chemistry class, science could be fun. With hardly any money, the ASTC opened in 1982 and brought 600,000 people through its doors over a six-year span at 600 Granville Street. Philanthropist Arthur Block came forward with his vacant 20,000-square-foot building at the corner of Dunsmuir and Granville, and offered to rent it to the group for $1 a month. It was called the Enquiring Eye, and the crowds for the small exhibition were so overwhelming that the society suddenly had a full-blown project on its hands that desperately needed a home. The Junior League formed a non-profit society and held a three-month preview for a proposed Arts, Sciences and Technology Centre (ASTC) at the Vancouver Museum. Back home, she belonged to a volunteer group called the Junior League of Greater Vancouver, and she proposed to her peers that they make a new mission of mounting a science centre in Vancouver. “As I watched the two boys delve into all the mysteries of science and technology, I was struck at how poorly those subjects were taught for my generation,” Brink recalls. They discovered various science centres around North America, and Brink soon realized what her own city was lacking. He was the project developer for Granville Island in 1979, so while he scoped out public markets in other cities, she would take her boys to explore the sights. At the time she was a mother of two young boys and a zealous fundraiser the germ of the idea sprouted when the family followed her husband on business trips. It all began with a woman named Barbara Brink, whose mission to bring entertaining science education to Vancouver dates back to the 1970s. Of course, Science World existed long before it took over the dome. Thankfully, they decided that the building’s trademark familiarity and central location made it impossible to give up. At one point, the board members even considered relocating to a new suburban site, simply because restoration of the dome was going to be too expensive. But the far more pressing worry is that the entire structure needs a serious overhaul, including seismic upgrades and expanded visitor space. The OMNIMAX screen, for example, isn’t equipped to project trendy 3-D films. The building is badly outdated and not up to code. Now, there are major changes happening at the Telus World of Science, aimed at giving the old ball a bit more life. And yet another 200,000 people a year are involved in Science World programming province-wide. More than 525,000 people a year visit the former Expo Centre-it has almost become a required school fieldtrip destination for more than two decades. For most of us, the Telus World of Science is that unmistakable golf ball at the east end of False Creek (scientifically the structure is known as a geodesic dome).
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