*** Welcome to piglix ***

Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science

Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Coco Grove FL MoSaSTP04.jpg
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science is located in Florida
Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
Location within Florida
Former name Miami Science Museum
Established 1949 (1949)
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 Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science

The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (formerly known as the Miami Science Museum) is a museum located in Miami, Florida United States. The 3280 S. Miami Ave. location is closed and the museum will re-open at a new location early in 2017. The museum is moving to Park West at Bicentennial Park in Downtown Miami, where it will join the new Pérez Art Museum Miami.

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 volunteers to assist the staff, run the Museum Store, and conduct 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.

In 1966, the Space Transit Planetarium was built and soon became the leading facility of its kind in the world. 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 totals 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2).

In 2001, the Miami-Dade Public Library System was one of six US 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 downtown Miami in early 2012, and is currently scheduled to open on May 8 2017.


...
Wikipedia

...