H. R. MacMillan Space Centre
Name
The Space Centre is named after H. R. MacMillan, a local lumber magnate and philanthropist, who paid for the inclusion of the Planetarium Theatre into the design of the Centennial Museum Building. To this day, locals also refer to the Space Centre as the Planetarium.
Design
The building was designed in the 1960s by architect Gerald Hamilton to house what was then called The Centennial Museum. The planetarium was added as part of a pre-construction re-design after a donation by H.R. Macmillan.
Outside the museum is a sculpture by George Norris called The Crab. Norris's sculpture won a 1967 design competition. The Space Centre originated as the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium until its re-branding in the 1990s when it expanded to include exhibit space into one of the wings of the building it shares with the Museum of Vancouver. The facility was refurbished and renovated to include the Space Centre exhibit space in 1997-98 by Matsuzaki Wright Architects.
References
- ^ "Our Space. Your Space. My Space" (PDF). Annual Report 2018. H. R. MacMillan Space Centre Society. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "About Us". spacecentre.ca. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Vancouver Museum and H.R. MacMillan Space Centre". Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ Vancouver Museum - About Us Archived 2009-06-06 at the Wayback Machine