Rose Center for Earth and Space.

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Exist Dates

2000 - present

Biographical or Historical Note

abstract
Permanent exhibition. Opened February 19, 2000. Located on Floors 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Section 18. The Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History was built to replace the original Hayden Planetarium, which after sixty years of advances in astrophysics, was considered obsolete (1, 1994/96 p. 6-7). The 207,000 square-foot Rose Center consists of the Hayden Planetarium (giant sphere), which includes the Space Theater and Big Bang Theater; the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic pathway, which leads out from the Big Bang Theater; the Scales of the Universe, which surrounds the sphere; two new permanent exhibition halls: the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe and the David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth; the one-acre public Arthur Ross Terrace; and six stories of support facilities with classrooms for educational programs and offices for the Museum's Astrophysics Department (Rose center book p. 64). The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space was a massive undertaking that involved many curators, donors, firms, and consultants. Curators and scientists who contributed to the creation of the Rose Center were Michael J. Novacek, the Museum's Provost of Science, Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, James Webster, Chair of the Division of Physical Sciences, Edmond Mathez, Curator in the Division of Physical Sciences, Michael Shara, Curator in-Charge of Astrophysics, Mordecai-Mark Mac Low, Assistant Curator of Astrophysics, Charles Liu and Frank Summers, astrophysicists, and James Sweitzer, Director of Special Projects (1, 2000, p. 6-9). Early major support for the Rose Center was provided by Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose, Richard Gilder, the Charles Hayden Foundation, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman, Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn, and the Arthur Ross Foundation. The new building was designed by architects James Stewart Polshek and Todd Schleimann of Polshek Partnership. The exhibits were designed by Ralph Applebaum of Applebaum Associates. Landscape designers for the Arthur Ross Terrace were Kathryn Gustafson and Anderson and Ray (1, 1994/96 p. 6-7; 1, 1996/97 p. 6; 1, 1998/99 p. 9; 1, 2000, p. 6-9; 2, 2001, p. 75).

In January 1995, the Museum announced plans to replace the Hayden Planetarium with a new building that would not only answer a need for an update, given the major advances in scientific methods and knowledge of astrophysics and the rapid rate with which they continued to advance, but the new building would also be adaptable to further advancements in the field. Despite opposition over the original Hayden Planetarium's place in cultural memory, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission reported favorably on the demolition (3, 1996). The Rose Center was also central in the debate in both the astrophysics community and the American public over Pluto's demotion from planet to dwarf planet (4, 2009) as the curators chose to group Pluto with the icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt as opposed to a terrestrial or gas giant planet (5, 20010.

Sources

    (1) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1994/96-2000.
    (2) Futter, Ellen V. The Rose Center for Earth and Space: A Museum for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Harry N. Abrams; New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2001.
    (3) Gray, Christopher, "A Remnant of the 1930's, and its Sky, Will Fall," New York Times, August 18, 1996.
    (4) Tyson, Neil deGrasse. The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009.
    (5) Chang, Kenneth, "Pluto's Not a Planet? Only in New York" New York Times, January 22, 2001.
    Information for the hall appears in the following Museum publications:
    Annual Reports for year 1994-1996 (page 6-7); 1996-1997 (page 6); 1998-1999 (page 1, 9, 18-19, 28, 43, 52); 2000 (page 6-9, 13-15, 28, 48, 50); 2001-2003 (page 5-12, 20, 24, 31, 34, 37, 40-41, 74-75); 2006 (page 3-4, 7, 19, 28-29, 32); 2007-2008 (page 6, 20, 67); 2009 (page 5, 15, 28, 50-51); 2010 (page 3, 5, 15, 40, 60, 64)
    Official Guide for year 2001 (page 37-43)
    Futter, Ellen V., The Rose Center for Earth and Space: a museum for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Harry N. Abrams; New York: American Museum of Natural History, 2001.

Terms

place
New YorkExternal link
AMNH: Floor 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, Section 18.

Related Corporate, Personal, and Family Names

Anderson and Ray
Firm, designed Arthur Ross Terrace (2, 2001, p. 75).
Applebaum Associates
Firm, exhibit designers (1, 2000, p. 9).
Applebaum, Ralph
Exhibit designer (1, 2000, p. 9).
Arthur Ross FoundationExternal link
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Barker, Elizabeth S.
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Barker, Ronald R.
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Baseball As America (Exhibition)
associated dates: 2002 March 16-2002 August 18
Bull, Joan
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Charles Hayden FoundationExternal link
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Clifford, Donald K.
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Cullman, Dorothy
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
Cullman, Lewis B.
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
Eastman Kodak CompanyExternal link
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Gottesman, David S.
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
Gottesman, Ruth L.
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
Gustafson, Kathryn, 1951-External link
Landscape architect, Arthur Ross Terrace (2, 2001, p. 75).
Hayden Planetarium
associated dates: 1935-1997

The Rose Center for Earth and Space replaced the physical Hayden Planetarium building.
Heilbrunn, Harriet
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
Heilbrunn, Robert
associated dates: 1994--

Rose Center donor
employedBy
Liu, Charles 1968
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Low, Mordecai
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Mathez, Edmond A
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Novacek, Michael J
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Polshek Partnership ArchitectsExternal link
Rose Center architects (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Polshek, James StewartExternal link
Rose Center architect (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Rose Center for Earth and Space. David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth
associated dates: 1999--

Exhibition hall a part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose Center for Earth and Space. Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Hall of the Universe
associated dates: 2000--

Exhibition hall located in the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose Center for Earth and Space. Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway
associated dates: 2000--

Cosmic Pathway is located in the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose Center for Earth and Space. Hayden Big Bang Theater
associated dates: 2000--

Theater is located is the Hayden Sphere in the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose Center for Earth and Space. Hayden Planetarium.
associated dates: 2000--

The Hayden Planetarium/Space Theater is in the Hayden Sphere located in the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose Center for Earth and Space. Scales of the Universe
associated dates: 2000--

The Scales of the Universe surrounds the Hayden Sphere in the Rose Center for Earth and Space
Rose, Frederick Phineas
associated dates: 1994--

Donor and namesake of the Rose Center.
Rose, Sandra Priest
associated dates: 1994--

Donor and namesake of the Rose Center.
Schleimann, Todd
Rose Center architect (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Shara, Michael M.
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Summers, F. J. (Francis Joseph)
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Sweitzer, JamesExternal link
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Tyson, Neil deGrasse
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
United States. National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationExternal link
Rose Center donor (1, 2000, p. 6-9).
employedBy
Webster, James D
Rose Center curator (1, 2000, p. 6-9).

Related Resources

subjectOf
Historic Halls of the American Museum of Natural History
Curated digital images of permanent halls in the American Museum of Natural History Library, Digital Special Collections.

Written by: Clare O'Dowd
Last modified: 2018 December 21


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