{rendering of St. Louis Science Center addition}
The St. Louis Science Center will add 13,000 feet of permanent exhibition space to replace the aging and temporary Exploradome inflatable space erected in 1997. The new hall will be a single floor with 38-foot ceilings to accommodate travelling exhibits and annual events. The Post-Dispatch story can be found here.
But what may be more significant is the possibility of the Science Center adding new exhibit space in the existing building. More than 12,000 square feet could be added by moving offices that currently occupy the third floor of the building. Doing so would increase exhibit space by 50%. According to a 2009 St. Louis Beacon article, offices could be moved to a nearby property at Macklind and Berthold.
It may just be a rendering, but the above image shows new buildings in the background on the property owned by the Science Center. The land is currently occupied by two buildings, one at 80,000 sq. ft. and one of almost 40,000 sq. ft. Either would need to be renovated before use, but the image above depicts buildings in addition to these.
With buildings and a property of this size, a lot could be done. The existing Science Center has plenty of adjacent space on which to expand as well. In 2009 Science Center CEO Doug King stated, "We'd love galleries for energy, St. Louis science and technology, health." It would be wonderful to highlight the science industry in St. Louis. Perhaps Peabody Energy, Ameren, Washington University Medical Center and others could be showcased.
What else could and should the Science Center do concerning future expansion and exhibit space?
{new addition shown in blue, temporary structure being replaced in red, additional property owned by the Science Center in yellow}
