The history of science and the science of history merge at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, set to open on Saturday, Nov. 10.
“The Museum of Discovery will be the first museum in the country to place exhibits in the context of both science and history through hands-on and artifact-based experiences,” said Cheryl Donaldson, co-director. “We’ll tell the global story with a local lens.”
The new museum combines the Fort Collins Museum and the Discovery Science Center inside a new, 47,000-square-foot building at Cherry and Mason streets near Old Town. The facility takes advantage of the latest technologies in energy use and efficiency; LEED platinum certification is expected within the year.
Approximately $6 million of the $26.7 million project came from the citizens of Fort Collins through the Building on Basics quarter-cent capital sales tax renewal that passed in 2005. The remaining funds have been raised from private sources and individual donors.
Six exhibit zones will be open during the Grand Opening. A 42-foot-long plesiosaur discovered under what is now Horsetooth Reservoir will hang above the Wildlands and Wildlife zone, and an immersive 360-degree Digital Dome theater will literally transport viewers into the experience. The Local History Archive offers more than 200,000 photographs, documents, and memorabilia that chronicle the people, places and events that have shaped the history of Northern Colorado from the 1860s to today.
“We’ve designed our exhibits so that people will have fun while they’re discovering — whether they’re 5 or 85!” Donaldson said.
For more information, visit FCMOD.com.