H. R. MacMillan Space Centre
The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, founded 1968, is an astronomy museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, that is located at Vanier Park in Vancouver. Inside the building, there are live demonstrations on science in the GroundStation Canada Theatre, exhibits and games in the Cosmic Courtyard, and shows about astronomy in the Planetarium Star Theatre. Next to the building is the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory. This centre of astronomy is a popular attraction in Vancouver.
The Space Centre is named for H. R. MacMillan, a British Columbia industrialist and philanthropist. The building was designed in the 1960s by architect Gerald Hamilton to house what was then called The Centennial Museum. The planetarium was added as part of a pre-construction re-design. Outside the museum is a sculpture by George Norris called The Crab. Norris's sculpture won a 1967 design competition. The Space Centre originated as the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium until its re-branding in the 1990s when it expanded to include exhibit space into one of the wings of the building it shares with the Museum of Vancouver. The facility was refurbished and renovated to include the Space Centre exhibit space in 1997-98 by Matsuzaki Wright Architects.
