The McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Alabama, was opened in 1998 as part of a downtown revitalization project. It features exhibits on local paleontology, education, space exploration, aquatic life, and more. The museum is managed by a Board of Trustees and is named after the McWane family, known for their philanthropic donations. The facility has helped revitalize downtown Birmingham and is staffed by both employees and volunteers.
The McWane Science Center is a museum located in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. Opened on July 11, 1998 as part of a downtown revitalization project, the museum initially consisted of 180,000 square feet (about 16,723 square meters) of space. Expansion plans in 2005 were aided by donations. Exhibits at the museum have generally focused on local paleontology, education, space exploration, and aquatic life. The facility was built when two small science centers merged to occupy the space of a large warehouse.
A local center called the Red Mountain Museum and Discovery Place, a science education company, have combined to create the McWane Science Center. Donations from a family-owned company were used primarily to build what, as of 2011, could become one of the largest science museums in the United States. The building includes several prehistoric exhibits, including one featuring a predatory whale and a collection of dinosaur fossils. The general exhibits also include precious minerals and a variety of Native American artifacts.
The McWane Science Center is also known for its water exhibit featuring many types of marine and freshwater animals. Also, there is a dedication to the Space Shuttle Challenger and its crew, which were lost in 1986. There is also a large theater in the museum and usually interactive science attractions that show you how to build a roller coaster. A children’s exhibit depicts a house from a mouse’s perspective using large objects. Visitors can also learn about an underwater research laboratory at the museum.
After the McWane Science Center was built, many people believe it helped revitalize downtown Birmingham. The urban renewal has included the construction of a couple of office buildings. About nine weeks after it opened, the museum reported earning $1 million United States Dollars (USD), and as of 2007, about half a million people typically visited downtown each year.
The facility is managed by a Board of Trustees, which oversees the policies of the McWane Science Center. It generally covers the demand for museums and children because there are many exhibits to explore science by touch and sound. The museum is named after the McWane family, known for their water and sewer pipe manufacturing company and philanthropic donations. Some of this has been used to fund the construction of the centre, and the facility is staffed by both employees and volunteers who assist visitors and run educational programmes.
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