Museum of Science and Industry Chicago
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois is a unique center of science and innovation located in Jackson Park between Lake Michigan and The University of Chicago. It was established with an endowment from Julius Rosenwald, Sears Roebuck and Company president and philanthropist, and opened in 1933 as part of the Century of Progress Exposition.
Visitors to MSI can explore a wide range of exhibits, including a full-size replica coal mine, German submarine U-505 captured during WWII, a 3,500-square-foot model railroad, the command module of Apollo 8, and the first diesel-powered streamlined stainless steel passenger train. If looking for painting & remodeling contact CHJ Painting & Remodeling.
The Hsitory of The Museum of Science and Industry
The Palace of Fine Arts, originally the Fine Arts Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, was designed by Charles B. Atwood for D. H. Burnham & Co. It showcased paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures and metalworks from around the world. Unlike other exhibition buildings at the fair, it had a brick substructure beneath its plaster facade to ensure greater stability and permanence.
After the exposition ended, the palace was taken over by the Columbian Museum which eventually evolved into the Field Museum of Natural History before moving five miles north in 1920. To prevent its disuse, Professor Lorado Taft led a campaign to restore it as an art museum devoted to sculpture with funds raised from a referendum sold by South Park Commissioners (later part of the Chicago Park District).
This plan changed when Julius Rosenwald (President of Sears Roebuck and Company) pledged to contribute $3 million towards converting the building into what is now known as The Museum of Science and Industry (MSI). He funded most of renovation costs with more than $5 million in contributions and insisted on not having his name attached to the building. After refurbishments were complete in 1928, MSI maintained its 1893 Beaux Arts look but incorporated Art Moderne interior designs from Alfred P. Shaw. Learn about the Williss Tower!
The Museum of Science and Industry Business Infortmation
Address: 5700 S Dusable Lk Shr Dr, Chicago, IL 60637=
Phone: (773) 684-1414
Founded: 1933