Exploratorium (Organization)

Science museum founded by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969 and housed in the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Organizational History

The Exploratorium was founded in San Francisco, California in 1969 by physicist and educator Frank Oppenheimer. Dissatisfied with traditional teaching methods, Dr. Oppenheimer had long been searching for ways to make science education accessible to the general population. After spending a year in Europe on a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1965, he began formulating a plan to establish a multidisciplinary museum in the U.S. that would integrate the arts and sciences in a hands-on learning environment through the use of interactive exhibits and educational programs.

In 1968, Dr. Oppenheimer proposed opening the new museum in the historic Palace of Fine Arts, a recently renovated building that had been designed by Bernard Maybeck for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Oppenheimer presented his plan to the Palace of Fine Arts League and to the City of San Francisco, who agreed to lease the building for $1 per year.

With the help of a $50,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation and the support of many community leaders, educators, and scientists, the Exploratorium opened its doors to the public in September 1969. By the end of its first year of operation, the museum's staff had constructed over 100 exhibits. By 1972, 20,000 people per month were visiting the Exploratorium.

While serving as the museum's first director, Dr. Oppenheimer played an active role in the daily operation of the museum. He continued to design and build exhibits, solicit funds and conduct tours for visiting dignitaries as well as local school children until his death in 1985.

After a succession of short-term directors, Goéry Delacôte, a leading French physicist and educator, was named Executive Director of the Exploratorium in 1991. Under his leadership the museum has established three centers for promoting science education: the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Center for Public Exhibition, and the Center for Media and Communication.

The Exploratorium currently houses over 650 interactive exhibits and artworks, a library/ resource center, nine classrooms, a multimedia studio, a theater, and a life science laboratory. The museum offers performances, artist residency programs, and teacher and resident scholar programs. Reproductions of Exploratorium exhibits are sold and rented to science museums all over the world.