The Carnegie Science Center

"From Zeiss to Omnimax and Digistar: The Evolution of a Science Center," by R. Jay Gangewere, Carnegie Magazine, September-October 1991.

Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science opened its doors on October 24, 1939, a gift to the people of Pittsburgh from The Buhl Foundation in memory of its founder, Henry Buhl, Jr. (1856-1927).
During his lifetime Henry Buhl, Jr., saw Pittsburgh rise to preeminence as a center of industry and applied science, but he himself did not make his fortune in that industrial world--rather he was a clothing merchant and the hard-working co-owner of the successful Boggs and Buhl Department Store on the North Side. This elegant emporium catered to the carriage trade, and by the time of his death he had a fortune of $11 million, which he bequeathed to a newly created Buhl Foundation for good works that would benefit the people of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. In his will he specifically suggested that part of these funds be used on his beloved North Side, where he had lived and worked all his adult life.

Since 1927 the Buhl Foundation has established a long record in using the Buhl legacy wisely to benefit the public. The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science that opened 12 years after the benefactor's death was one of the largest projects undertaken by the foundation, and for generations of Pittsburghers it became a gateway to scientific knowledge and to careers in scientific pursuits.

The Buhl Planetarium was considered a marvel in 1939. The fifth planetarium built in the United States, it housed a Model II Zeiss Star Projector (the only unmodified one still in use) which allowed the operator to duplicate the skies as seen from any position on the earth. In this "Theater of the Stars" people could view the skies as they appeared tens of thousands of years in the past, or in the future.
The Zeiss projector symbolized the technology of popular science education in Pittsburgh for five decades, but it was not the only permanent exhibit at Buhl. A beautiful Foucault Pendulum--a device which demonstrates the earth's rotation on its axis--is located in the main lobby. And the rooftop siderostat telescope--which automatically follows a star or planet across the sky--was the first such telescope designed for convenient public use rather than astronomical research.

Always devoted to public education, Buhl encouraged young people to explore the world of science, and it gave adults a way to reinforce scientific interests. The informal educational experiences at Buhl led many people to consider scientific careers when the public school curriculum was not always encouraging--especially for women.
During World War II Buhl trained the military in celestial navigation. In 1958 it opened the Junior Science Space Academy as a local response to the creation of Sputnik and the dawning Space Age. That academy still exists, now including many branches of science and attracting some 1,000 enrollments each summer.
Many Buhl programs became traditions in Pittsburgh. In the first year of operation Buhl initiated its prestigious science fair that honors the work of young scientists, a foreign language festival, and the Star of Bethlehem holiday sky show--all programs that continue to influence Pittsburghers today. In 1954 the first edition of the remarkable Miniature Railroad and Village opened, beginning another popular tradition by combining model trains with an informed look at western Pennsylvania life in the early 20th century.

In the 1970s it was clear that the planetarium was aging and that an expansion or modernization was needed. The need for a new planetarium symbolized the need for a new look at the entire facility. Nationally, the pace of technological and scientific discoveries was increasing rapidly, and the age of computers was changing the lives of ordinary people. Robotics and new knowledge about the life sciences opened exciting frontiers for scientific inquiry. There was a strong emphasis on space travel and astronomy.
In the late 1970s the executive director of the Buhl Foundation, David Henderson, began inspecting new planetariums to see what the latest options were, and preliminary discussions were held to see what sources of public and private support would be needed to update the Buhl facility. From the very beginning the idea of bringing the new technology of an OMNIMAX® theater to Pittsburgh was part of the planning.
Clearly one choice for Pittsburgh was to build an addition to the existing Buhl facility by expanding into the courtyard of Allegheny Square--where a fountain exists today. But this city-owned space was too confining, and the restricted surrounding space and parking in this developed area was another limitation.
The continued exploration by the Buhl Foundation and civic and government leaders about the future of science education in Pittsburgh led inevitably to a larger vision of the role of a modern science center.

Pittsburgh's heavy industry was disappearing in the 1970s and 80s, and the new power of science and technology in maintaining the city's economic base was increasingly clearer. The strengths of the city in education and medicine, especially in advanced research, was a new economic factor. Also important was the tourist industry and the city's high "quality of life"--an amazing economic change as the notorious "smoky city" reputation changed and Pittsburgh began to win "most livable city" awards. Still, in Pittsburgh during the 1980s, the population dropped severely as heavy industry ceased to offer attractive jobs to the workforce, and young people left the region. The role of science education in Pittsburgh was linked in vital ways to the future of the city.
Thus there were a variety of reasons for creating a new freestanding facility. Pittsburgh's tourist industry could be aided by the proven ability of an OMNIMAX theater to draw travelers to a city. City, county and state officials saw the wisdom of supporting science education in a city that was dealing with the consequences of losing its industrial base.

In 1982 the newly renamed Buhl Science Center was operating independently of the supportive Buhl Foundation, and a new president, Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr., was exploring specific expansion plans. In the 1980s different sites were considered on the North Side, from the initial idea of expanding into Allegheny Square to larger sites on the Allegheny River. As the needs for a large site and convenient public access grew clearer, the most dramatic location of all--on the Ohio River below Three Rivers Stadium--became the site of choice, and also allowed a tie-in with stadium parking and new highways connecting to the West End Bridge.
In the following few years one of the private-public partnerships for which Pittsburgh is well known began to shape the future Carnegie Science Center: The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County offered the riverfront land connecting to Roberto Clemente Park as well as essential financial support. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made a commitment during the administration of Governor Dick Thornburgh, and this support was continued and increased during the administration of Governor Robert E. Casey. The Buhl Foundation, under the leadership of Executive Director Doreen E. Boyce and the Board of Trustees, tripled their $1 million gift for The Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium & Observatory to $3 million, thus making possible a truly unique facility.

As these plans unfolded, the problems of developing and managing such a large enterprise were becoming clearer. Increased staffing was needed in development, building services, science education and public relations--a whole new institution was evolving out of the smaller Buhl Science Center.
This is where The Carnegie's leadership, embarking upon its own capital campaign to upgrade the operations of its famous museum complex, showed an interest in merging resources with Buhl Science Center. The trustees of The Carnegie and of Buhl Science Center examined the problems of blending two major institutions to improve their services to the public.

In 1987 both boards resolved the issues of this complex marriage of institutions, and Buhl Science Center united with The Carnegie, joining The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, The Carnegie Music Hall, The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and The Carnegie Museum of Art in one common public service enterprise. In this year Alphonse T. DeSena became the new director of The Carnegie Science Center.

By late 1991 The Carnegie's capital campaign--The Second Century Fund--will have reached its original goal of $125.5 million, of which $40 million was funding specifically designated from government and private sources for the science center.

In 1989 the name of the new facility was chosen: The Carnegie Science Center. The name of Henry Buhl, Jr., is remembered in The Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium & Observatory, which has been underwritten by The Buhl Foundation as a state-of-the-art facility of international importance. The older Buhl Science Center has now become a fully developed education center, expanding its many public programs. It has been renamed The Carnegie Science Center, Allegheny Square Annex. The new educational activities at Allegheny Square, drawing on the resources of the old Buhl facility and the new science center itself, give Pittsburgh one of the largest public science programs in the country.

The Henry Buhl Jr., Planetarium & Observatory is one of the few interactive planetariums in the world and the most technically sophisticated. Its elaborate new projection system, Digistar, accurately depicts seasonal day and night skies and allows visitors to select a realistic three-dimensional space flight to the destination of their choice. Terence Murtagh, president of the International Planetarium Society, calls this planetarium, both interactive and equipped with Digistar, "a model for planetarium installations through the beginning of the 21st century."
Thus the early vision of an expanded science center for Pittsburgh evolved through a decade of planning and increasing public and private support. Large spaces for changing exhibits were provided, and major permanent halls were developed with the help of the corporate community.

The final vision was shared not only by The Carnegie, but by many individuals, corporations and foundations in Pittsburgh: John G. Rangos, Sr. and Chambers Development Charitable Foundations have underwritten the Rangos Omnimax Theater, Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania donated funds for the Blue Cross Health Science Theater, Westinghouse Electric Corporation supported the technology exhibit called The Works, and the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation made possible the Eating exhibition.

The architect of The Carnegie Science Center, Tasso Katselas, had seen the plans for the new facility evolve through many stages as different sites were considered. Ultimately, he was able to create an exciting building which symbolizes a new era for science education in Pittsburgh.
Project development and construction management were handled by the National Development Corporation, which had provided many essential services to Buhl Science Center during the long evolution of the concept. The construction company was Mellon Stuart. At the ground breaking on October 5, 1989, a multitude of people joined hands to create the outline of the future building, and exactly two years later, on October 5, 1991, the science center opened to the public.

For Pittsburghers who have followed the evolution of The Carnegie Science Center in newspaper stories for nearly a decade, a long wait is over. The public will discover that a trip to The Carnegie Science Center is an important part of experiencing modern Pittsburgh.