FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release #058-00
Wednesday, February 16, 2000

Release #058-00

MAYOR GIULIANI DEDICATES ROSE CENTER FOR EARTH AND SPACE
AT AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Center For Earth and Space Will House Exhibitions, Research and Education

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today attended the dedication of the new Frederick Phineas & Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space and the completely reconstructed Hayden Planetarium. The Mayor joined Chairman of the American Museum of Natural History Anne Sidamon-Eristoff and Museum President Ellen V. Futter for the ceremony, which included a ribbon-cutting and a performance by the Fort Hamilton High School Marching Regiment.

"For 131 years, the American Museum of Natural History has been both teaching and exciting its visitors," Mayor Giuliani said. "Now this landmark institution leaps into the next millennium with this thrilling addition, a wondrous blend of science, technology and education. From school children on class trips to tourists exploring the City's treasures, everyone who visits the Rose Center is sure to be amazed."

The centerpiece of the seven-level Rose Center for Earth and Space is the 87-foot diameter Hayden Sphere, enclosed in a gleaming cube of glass. Housed inside the sphere, the reconstructed Hayden Planetarium uses astronomical data modeled into three-dimensional images to take visitors on virtual tours of the universe. Also unveiled was the state-of-the-art AstroBulletin, a thirteen-foot-long high-definition television screen which will show breaking news from space including the latest images of from the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's jet propulsion laboratories.

Museum President Ellen V. Futter said, "We are particularly honored to have Mayor Giuliani and Speaker Vallone join us to dedicate the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Preist Rose Center for Earth and Space; their early leadership and commitment was crucial in forming the public-private partnership that led to the project's successful completion. We owe both our deepest appreciation and thanks. The Rose Center with its singular and iconic architecture in the service of science has created a model for the 21st century museum, and will contribute significantly to extending the Museum's mission of research and education. We also believe that the Rose Center will become a landmark, attracting visitors from New York and around the world."

In addition, newly created exhibition spaces include The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Hall of the Universe, which will explain the laws of astronomy and astrophysics, and The David S. and Ruth L. Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth, which will elucidate the principles of geology and geophysics, and explore the history of life on our planet and the possibility of life in other parts of the universe. The Scales of the Universe and The Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway also will house new exhibits.

A recent estimate projected the Rose Center to generate $76 million in economic activity in addition to the $4.1 billion in total spending related to the City's non-profit cultural institutions. The City contributed $40 million in capital funds to the $210 million project, which also created new public spaces, including a new dog-run in Theodore Roosevelt Park and the beautifully landscaped Arthur Ross Terrace. A three-story underground parking garage, which can hold 370 cars, and a new Planetarium Shop and cafeteria were also constructed as part of the project.

The Rose Center was designed by James Stewart Polshek and Todd H. Schliemann of Polshek Partnership Architects, and the exhibition design is by Ralph Appelbaum Associates with close consultation with Museum scientists, educators, and exhibition designers. Morse Diesel International, Inc., was the construction manager.

The Rose Center opens to the public on Saturday, February 19.

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