While the project will join the ranks of what are generically known as science museums, Heritage officials like to refer to the new facility as a “science center” because its exhibits won’t be static. Instead, they’ll be designed to be hands-on and interactive and feature the latest technology. Most science museums around the country have followed this trend, often referring to themselves as science centers or discovery centers, with missions to unlock curiosity and make science accessible to all. To help ensure that the Omaha center does rank with the country’s best, Heritage has partnered with one of the nation’s premier science museums to develop the center’s exhibits and programming. San Francisco’s Exploratorium, along the waterfront in the heart of that city, is routinely ranked among the nation’s top handful of science museums. Exploratorium officials currently working on exhibits for the Omaha center say they will be state of the art while also reflecting the unique culture and history of Omaha and the region.
Backers hope Omaha’s new riverfront science museum will inspire future scientists and engineers
By Henry Cordes / Omaha World-Herald staff writer
August 27, 2020
A new jewel is coming to Omaha’s riverfront. Ground will be broken this fall for a privately funded $101 million science museum that backers hope will rank among the nation’s best.
Architects’ renderings of the new science center show a sizable glassy structure on city parkland at Lewis & Clark Landing, with views of downtown, the Missouri River and the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.
The community leaders behind the project hope the new science center will become a family-friendly and fun entertainment destination when it opens in 2023 — filling a longtime void in the city’s cultural amenities. But more than that, they hope it will inspire children’s interest in science, math, engineering and technology, helping to fill a critical need for workers in those STEM fields.
“We believe this innovative community space will have a powerful and lasting influence on fueling our city’s workforce development,” said Bruce Grewcock, chairman of Omaha’s Kiewit construction company.
Grewcock led planning for the project on behalf of Heritage Services, the influential Omaha philanthropy organization that has been behind numerous major civic projects in Omaha over the past three decades. Heritage is tapping donors to raise all of the money for the science center.
“It’s going to be incredible,” said Rachel Jacobson, president of Heritage Services. The new science center does not yet have a formal name, but “Kiewit” will definitely be a part of it.
Not all of the money for the center has been raised, but Jacobson said Heritage is confident that the fund drive will be completed. That’s why Heritage is looking to break ground by late October or early November. The $101 million that Heritage is raising includes construction costs, exhibit design and fabrication, and one year of operating expenses — plus an endowment that will provide for the future sustainability of its operations. The facility will feature 82,000 square feet — about the same total area as 1½ football fields — spread over two floors. Omaha-based HDR is serving as lead architect and engineer on the project.
Because the museum will be built on city parkland, the Omaha City Council next week will be asked to approve a long-term lease agreement with Omaha Discovery Trust, the new nonprofit formed by Heritage that will develop and operate the science center. The museum will be at Lewis & Clark Landing in the area of the long-defunct Rick’s Cafe Boatyard restaurant. It’s north of I-480, east of the CHI Health Center and south of the National Park Service’s Midwest region headquarters and the Kerrey bridge.