SciTrek

SciTrek

Science & Technology Museum of Atlanta
Museum entrance
Location of SciTrek in Metro Atlanta
Established	October 29, 1988
Dissolved	August 27, 2004
Location	395 Piedmont Avenue North East Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Coordinates	33°45′58″N 84°22′54″W / 33.766°N 84.3816°W / 33.766; -84.3816
Type	Children's Science & Technology Museum
Collection size	140 exhibits appealing to all age ranges
Director	Scott Coleman
President	Lewis A. Massey

The Science & Technology Museum of Atlanta, usually known as SciTrek, was located at 395 Piedmont Avenue (33°45′58″N 84°22′54″W / 33.766°N 84.3816°W / 33.766; -84.3816) in Atlanta, Georgia, next to the Atlanta Civic Center. It was forced to close in August 2004 due to reduced federal and state funding, as well as poor fundraising results, but hoped to reopen again later. All of its displays were sold or auctioned on January 15, 2005.

In 1982, Mary O'Coner and Sue Trotter, fellow Junior Leaguers and longtime neighbors in Brookwood Hills, decided to pursue a science museum for Atlanta.

SciTrek was incorporated in 1982, with an initial grant from the Metropolitan Foundation. The Metropolitan Foundation is a nonprofit corporation guided by a 31-member board of directors headed by Robert W. Scherer, the Georgia Power Co. chairman and chief executive officer.

With help from the city of Atlanta, the city committed 96,000 square feet of the Atlanta Civic Center exhibition space to the Science and Technology Museum of Atlanta. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation donated $1 million. After years of planning and fundraising SciTrek-The Science & Technology Museum of Atlanta finally opened its doors to the public on October 29, 1988.

SciTrek opened with 34 staffers, 150 volunteers, and a $2.5 million annual budget. During the three-day grand opening, 11,000 visitors toured the museum. By the end of its first full fiscal year, Scitrek reported 350,000 visitors to the museum. Museum organizers projected attendance would eventually reach 1 million.