The California Academy of Sciences is a world-renowned research institute and natural history museum located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1853 as a learned society, it continues to carry out a large amount of original research.
The Academy is one of the largest natural history museums in the world, housing over 46 million specimens.
The primary building, which was completely rebuilt in 2008, covers an impressive 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2).
The state-of-the-art facility is home to an extensive collection of scientific specimens and artifacts, as well as interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and a living rainforest.
The California Academy of Sciences is a must-see destination for anyone interested in natural history and scientific research.
California Academy of Sciences History
The California Academy of Sciences has a long and storied history, dating back to its founding in 1853 as the California Academy of Natural Sciences. As the first society of its kind in the Western US, it had a forward-thinking view towards women in science and hired Alice Eastwood, a botanist, in 1892.
Its first official museum opened in 1874 and drew up to 80,000 visitors a year. However, the Academy’s early years were marked by a series of moves. In 1891, it moved to a new and larger building on Market Street, but it was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. In 1916, the Academy moved to the North American Hall of Birds and Mammals in Golden Gate Park, which was to become its permanent home.
Throughout the decades that followed, the Academy continued to expand and evolve. The Steinhart Aquarium, Science Hall, Morrison Planetarium, Malliard Library, Eastwood Hall of Botany, and Livermore Room were all added in the decades that followed.
In 2005, the old building was torn down and a new $500 million building opened in 2008.
This new building was designed to be both environmentally sustainable and an architectural masterpiece.
Today, the California Academy of Sciences continues to inspire curiosity, promote understanding, and make a positive impact on the world through its scientific research and educational programs.
California Academy of Sciences Key Information
- The California Academy of Sciences is a world-renowned research institute and natural history museum founded in 1853
- It is home to an extensive collection of scientific specimens and artifacts, as well as interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and a living rainforest.
- The Academy was the first society of its kind in the Western US and was the first to hire a female botanist, Alice Eastwood, in 1892
- Its first official museum opened in 1874 and drew up to 80,000 visitors a year
- After a series of moves, the Academy finally moved to its permanent home in Golden Gate Park in 1916
- In 2005, the old building was torn down and a new $500 million building opened in 2008
- Today, the California Academy of Sciences continues to inspire curiosity and promote understanding through its scientific research and educational programs
