The New Facility

In 1963, the newly established Science Guild – a committee of citizens created to fundraise for the Science Center’s efforts – paid $15,000 for five acres of land in West St. Petersburg.

Nell Crowley, the Science Center’s director and an ex-Pinellas Park science teacher, felt the location would be ideal to serve not just the expanding community in St. Petersburg but Largo, Clearwater, and the rest of Pinellas County. Raising more than $150,000 (approximately $1.5 million today), the new facility opened on March 5, 1966. It featured numerous classrooms, multi-use areas, and space for modular exhibits.
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Over the next decade, the Science Center expanded to a staff of a dozen and hosted classes every weekday for nearly the entire year. While school was in session, agreements with Pinellas County and private schools alike saw children bussed in almost every day, enjoying learning about astronomy, botany, meteorology, archaeology, and much more outside of the stuffy and stressful confines of the schoolroom. Instructors enjoyed having the freedom to teach in their own way.

During the summer months, staff would almost triple as educators on break came to work on the facility’s beloved summer camp courses. These courses were provided to families at low or no cost, as the Center was funded by an alphabet soup of local public, private, and non-profits and by the generosity of captains of industry and tradespeople alike. The Center, in many ways, embodied the Norman Rockwell dream of America: It was modern and beautiful, built by the community and to the community’s benefit.
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Over time and particularly under the 25-year leadership of Director Susan Gordon, the Science Center added features and capacity. Among these was a concrete structure housing a small planetarium, in which children could see the night sky as it was visible on any day in history; a life-size replica of a 16th-century Tocabaga village; and a mobile van, donated by the Junior League, to take the learning to those who couldn’t come themselves.

NASA – who had sent representatives to open the site in 1966 – donated a Mercury capsule and a section of a Titan missile to adorn the facility. From the St. Petersburg Times came a mainframe computer occupying an entire room. It was one of the first computers at any primary education facility in Florida, and launched a computer lab that would be the Science Center’s most popular and enduring feature for the following two decades.
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In 1998, the Science Center observatory was completed through funding from Carol and Allen Samuels, providing a home to what would ultimately be the 400-strong St. Pete Astronomy Club. At the same time, the Center had added a full-time animal keeper and a small zoo, including mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, particularly Hamlette the Pig, Monty the Python, and a 600-gallon touch tank featuring starfish, crabs, urchins, and a stingray or two.

The Science Center frequently highlighted the contributions of unsung heroes in science history, including African Americans and Native Americans, and showcased student projects to the community. Figures from the world of science, including professors, engineers, and NASA astronauts, frequently came to speak to children and share with them the opportunities that they would go on to attain as adults.

Many Pinellas County residents who have become prominent in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) point to youthful experiences at the Science Center as the impetus for their subsequent studies and careers. They learned the scientific method, discovered new ideas, and befriended people from all over the city and county, making memories that have lasted a lifetime and fuelled their studies and careers. At one time, it was said that the Science Center had produced employees at almost every top computer company worldwide.

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