New entrance, more exhibits, big changes ahead for Morehead Planetarium
Once the $5.2 million project is complete in late 2018 or early 2019, the public will have access to five times the amount of floor and exhibit space in the building on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill.
Posted — UpdatedOnce the $5.2 million project is complete, the public will have access to five times the amount of floor and exhibit space in the building on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. Already, money has been raised for about 75 percent of the project's total cost.
"We have a vision to be a global leader in university-based science centers," said Todd Boyette, Morehead's director, at a fundraising event attended by Gov. Roy Cooper Thursday evening.
In 1949, when Morehead opened, it was the first planetarium in the south and the sixth in the United States. It once served as a training center for U.S. astronauts preparing for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, including the astronauts who walked on the Moon.
Boyette said the project will update and improve the current facility and make for a better experience for Morehead's many visitors. "They deserve to enter in a grand entrance from the front and not the side," Boyette said Thursday.
The project will streamline the visitor experience, shifting the entrance, adding more exhibit space and ensuring it's accessible to all. Here's what's planned:
New exhibits for the rotunda also are planned, including more details about what astronauts learned during their time at Morehead. For instance, lessons learned at Morehead helped save the lives of the crews aboard Apollo 12 and Apollo 13. "That's a story that wasn't being told," said Jay Heinz, Morehead's director of creative and experiential design.
From the exhibit space, visitors will enter the planetarium, which will get new seats, carpet and paint. The gift shop also will get an overhaul. Plans also include updating the rose garden with the sundial in front of the building so it can be used for programs and classes.
Heinz said the redesign will offer a more cohesive experience for visitors.
"Before, it felt like everything was shoehorned into the building," he said. "We wanted to make it feel like a science center."
No solid date has been set for construction to start, but Heinz said the planetarium should remain open throughout the project on its regular schedule.
Officials have been talking about making changes to the building for 14 years. Planning and design began in earnest about two years ago.
Said Heinz: "It's finally coming to fruition."
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