More We re turning school groups away now, Bennington says. The building is far too crowded for the kind of quality experience we ought to be offering our public. And yet the expansion, which adds 160,000 square feet of exhibit space, is about more than size. An outdoor Discovery Park will be a year-round family destination that not only establishes a new green space in the formerly industrial riverfront, but also provides a new connection to the neighborhood. It won t have a fence around it, Bennington promises.
Parks say very strongly, community connection.
The ship will enhance the Science Center s connection to the riverfront, and tie in naturally with the area s history, since ships of this type were built in the area and Allegheny County has the second highest per capita number of WWII veterans in the country. One new permanent exhibit, UPMC SportsWorks, will open temporarily in the building adjacent to the Science Center in time for football season. When the expansion is completed, UPMC SportsWorks will move into the new space. And so, in a few years, we ll have our new building, our children will enjoy even better school trips, and there will be more weekend afternoons when a visit to the Science Center is the thing to do. But, like all thoughtfully carried- out, creative enterprises, we ll have more than that.