Expansion Project: Milestones

MAJOR CONSTRUCTION GETS UNDER WAY ON VICTORY PARK MUSEUM AS PEROT FAMILY HANDS OFF “NOTICE TO PROCEED” TO BALFOUR BEATTY

April 26, 2010

It was a small ceremony involving a simple document, but it had big implications. 

Donning hard hats and neon-colored construction vests, Margot Perot and her three daughters handed off the “notice to proceed” document to Balfour Beatty construction manager Bobby Little, which authorized the construction firm to begin major construction.  Within minutes of the hand-off, a massive bulldozer began digging into and upturning the pavement.  During the weeks following the April 26, 2010 ceremony, the safety fence will be completed and the “big dig” – outlining the footprint of the 180,000 square foot facility – will get under way.

“For those of us who’ve dreamed of a new museum and worked on it for years, even decades, this moment is pretty magical,” said Nicole Small, president & CEO of the Museum of Nature & Science.  “It’s really happening, and we’re so thrilled that Mrs. Perot, Nancy, Suzanne and Carolyn are part of this special day.”

The Victory Park facility will be named in honor of Margot and H. Ross Perot.  In May 2008, the Perot children announced a $50-million gift to the Museum of Nature & Science expansion campaign in honor of their parents. 
Joining Mrs. Perot were her daughters Nancy Perot Mulford, Suzanne McGee and Carolyn Rathjen along with longtime Museum backer Lyda Hill and Forrest Hoglund, chairman of the Museum’s expansion campaign. 

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, the new museum is being constructed on a 4.7-acre site at the northwest corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street in Victory Park just north of downtown Dallas.  The 180,000-square-foot structure will include five floors of public space housing 10 exhibition galleries, including a children’s museum and outdoor playspace/courtyard.

Photos of notice to proceed event by Jason Janik

November 18, 2009

From the first glance of the “roach coach” catering trucks and the trash-can band decked out in construction gear, everyone knew this wasn’t going to be a typical groundbreaking.

More than 500 standing-room-only guests of all ages poured onto the site of the new Museum of Nature & Science, primed by the promise of an “ultimate dig” celebration for the $185-million facility at Victory Park. Guests included Dallas City Council members, elected officials, the Museum’s Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, exhibit designers and hundreds of donors, whose contributions from a few dollars to millions made the groundbreaking possible.

Inside the cavernous tent, the shovels and obligatory pile of dirt were accompanied by a mysterious contraption that dominated the stage. After a quick stop to check in, guests were treated to box lunches and drinks. Dallas ISD students from the Townview School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center greeted guests, while middle schoolers from George B. Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy offered impressive explanations of science experiments.

In the spirit of learning by doing, guests found a bag of goodies hidden under their chairs that illustrated scientific principles. The museum's Education staff members explained the lessons behind each item, as guests put pinwheels into motion (kinetic energy and wind), balanced a tiny bird on their fingertips (center of gravity), lit up the room by wearing flashing LED glasses (diodes and energy), operated a noisy ;sparking wheel (friction), and blew bubbles (surface tension and light waves).

The highlight of the day was the Rube Goldberg-inspired contraption in action. After Perot family members activated the buttons and switches, the T-Rex roared, geodes exploded, a space rocket launched, and both kids and adults jumped when the 15-foot nature lady emerged from the backdrop covered in confetti butterflies. The final moment came as construction workers symbolically broke ground with jack hammers.

Dozens of media witnessed the excitement, including The Dallas Morning News, who later ran a front-page photo of Ross Perot and Forrest Hoglund laughing while wearing flashing LED glasses. Check out more media coverage here.

Remarks were brief. State Representative Dan Branch commented that “it's kind of like Jurassic Park meets Victory Park. Museum CEO Nicole Small called November 18 a major milestone, and Board Chairman Frank-Paul King reiterated The Dallas Morning News' assessment that Thom Mayne's design of the building is the "boldest piece of modern architecture to hit Dallas." Expansion Campaign Chair Forrest Hoglund thanked all the donors and kiddingly threatened to lock the doors till everyone in the room anteed up.

Ross Perot, Jr. recapped his and his sisters’ decision to donate $50 million to the Museum of Nature & Science in honor of their parents, Margot and Ross Perot. Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway called the new facility “the people’s museum,” and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano noted that “visitors from across Texas and the world are going to come to this museum.” And travels to China didn’t prevent Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert from delivering a congratulatory message via video that “this museum is going to educate and inspire so many children and adults.”

Lots of people said it was the most memorable groundbreaking they've ever attended, and that was our goal,” said Museum CEO Nicole G. Small. “We wanted people to be surprised, to participate and have fun, and come away learning something new because that’s what happens every day at a science museum.”

The two-day festivities continued with a record-breaking crowd of 1,200 attending the annual Dinner in the Wild gala.

“We knew it was a hit when we kept getting calls from people wanting ‘those flashing glasses’,” she added. “Our groundbreaking was just a preview of what’s coming when the new museum opens in 2013. We can’t wait.”

Media report from the November 18, 2009 groundbreaking news conference and November 19, 2009 Dinner in the Wild: Construction Zone gala for the Perot Museum of Nature & Science.

Click here to download a QuickTime video of the event.

Click here to watch a video of the event.

Photos of groundbreaking event by Jerry McClure.

MUSEUM UNVEILS BUILDING DESIGNS AND SCHEMATIC RENDERINGS TO FANFARE

September 17, 2010

September 17 began on an upbeat note with a front-page story in The Dallas Morning News calling the schematic designs for the new Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park “the boldest piece of modern architecture to hit Dallas.” Arts writer Scott Cantrell noted that the designs created by Pritzker Prize Laureate Thom Mayne and his California firm Morphosis “loudly proclaim the $185 million museum's double focus on science and nature.”

With newspaper in hand, Museum of Nature & Science CEO Nicole Small headed to the WFAA-TV Channel 8 studios for an early-bird interview. From there, it was off to a whirlwind day of events, beginning at the Museum’s Victory Park construction center, where Mayne breakfasted with major Expansion Campaign donors and other community leaders. A late-morning meeting with The Dallas Morning News netted a September 27 editorial entitled “Perot Museum as beacon” stating that “the building will be a furiously modern, inescapably eye-catching addition to the center city” and adding that “a contrast to the building's high-energy vibe will be its plain-spoken but vital goal: ‘to inspire minds through nature and science.’"

Following a luncheon where Mrs. Margot Perot and several prominent guests met with Mayne, a standing-room only crowd gathered for a news conference to unveil the schematic designs and building model. Small was joined by Frank-Paul King, chairman of the Museum’s board of directors, and Forrest Hoglund, chair of the expansion campaign, to share details about the vision for the new museum and provide updates on the fundraising efforts. Guests and media alike ogled the stunning eight-foot building model as Mayne provided his perspective on designing the 180,000-square-foot facility.

“The new Perot Museum of Nature & Science at Victory Park will create a distinct identity for the Museum, enhance its prominence and enrich Dallas’ evolving cultural fabric,” said Mayne. “It’s been designed to engage a broad audience, invigorate young minds, and inspire wonder and curiosity in the daily lives of its visitors.”

Dallas Mayor Leppert was also on hand to offer accolades.

“It’s been said that every great city needs a great science museum. Thanks to the generosity of the Perot children and hundreds of donors, we’ll now have one in the heart of our city that will benefit children and adults for decades to come,” said Mayor Leppert.

The day concluded with a cocktail reception with museum members and patrons, followed by a private dinner honoring Mayne. The following Saturday, the doors of the construction center opened, giving the general public a chance to view the building model and designs. To view the images, click here.

MNS is an AAM accredited institution that is the result of the merger of the Dallas Museum of Natural History, The Science Place, and the Dallas Children's Museum, supported in part by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and HP.