More From the Museum of Nature & Science’s Groundbreaking
Glenn brought us some details yesterday from the groundbreaking. Ryan Jones from our web team was there, too, and offers more reportage after the jump:
Victory? Victory!
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science broke ground on its new digs near downtown yesterday, kicking off a three-year construction phase that will culminate with a 180,000-square foot facility that State Rep. Dan Branch touted as “Jurassic Park meets Victory Park.” The ceremony was backdropped by an elaborate contraption that took inspiration from cartoonist Rube Goldberg’s overly complicated machines. When it came time to do some actual ground breaking, dirt was dumped onto a scale that set off a chain reaction with bright lights and sound effects, enthralling the crowd and horrifying at least one toddler near me.
The front end of the tent was reserved for VIP types like the Dallas City Council and a plethora of Perots in attendance, including Ross Sr. and Margot. That left the media in the back with the kiddies, who were more interested in the goody bags taped under their chairs than the clever word play of elected officials on the stage. So even though the row of tots toting sparking wheels, party blowers, and blinking LED glasses I was behind provided plenty of distractions, I still managed to pick up a few things.
* The museum isn’t completely abandoning Fair Park. The original facilities will still function in one way or another, but the good stuff will be at the new Field Street location.
* The building’s $185 million price tag is all-inclusive — the 4.7 acre lot, the Thom Mayne design, the construction, even an endowment — and though $127 million has already been raised through a number of donors (including T. Boone Pickens, who dropped $10 million on the place), there’s still the matter of the final $58 million to tend to, prompting fundraising chairman Forrest Hoglund to quip that he’d be passing around a collection plate.
* The museum’s namesake family has done its part, with the children of Margot and Ross Perot making a $50 million contribution in their parents’ honor to help build the state-of-the-art facility, though my guess is Ross Jr. didn’t object to the site in his struggling Victory Park development.
* Securing Mayne as the project’s architect keeps with the DFW tradition of museums designed by Pritzker Prize laureates. Renzo Piano conceived the nearby Nasher Sculpture Center in 2003, while Louis Kahn and Philip Johnson designed the Kimbell and Amon G. Carter museums in Fort Worth, respectively. – Ryan Jones
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@Tim: Gee, don’t you ever read SweetCharity? We’re a part of the D blog world, too.
@Jeanne Prejean: Who are you again?
@Tim: The other night? You said you’d never forget.
I love how much Dallas is investing in lifestyle and the people! Thanks to everyone making living downtown so much more desirable.