Fort Worth Museum of Science & History

1501 Montgomery St.
1954; 1961; 1964; Demolished November 2007
Omni Theater - 1983
New Building - 2009 (UC)

In 1950, the City of Fort Worth sold bonds to build a children's Museum and an art museum adjacent to the Will Rogers Complex.  Through previous years, the Fort Worth Children's Museum was housed in schools and private homes.  In 1954, the facility opened along with the Fort Worth Art Center on Montgomery Street.  The museum featured several galleries and the Charlie Mary Noble Planetarium.  It was the first planetarium in the world named after a woman.  In the early years, the museum grew rapidly with additions built in 1961 and 1964.  The museum was broadening their appeal, so in 1988, they changed their name to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.  In 1983, the museum expanded again by adding an Omnimax Theater.  It is appropriately named the Omni Theater.  The theater addition was designed by Komatsu & Associates of Fort Worth.  Over the last several years, the museum has rapidly outgrown their space.  It was determined that a major addition should be constructed and Lake/Flato Architects were hired to expand the building to the north.  Eventually the museum board determined that the citizens of Fort Worth would be better served by constructing an entirely new state of the art building.  Legorreta+Legorreta of Mexico City was chosen to design the new facility.  Their design calls for the demolition of the entire museum except for the Omni Theater.  While the new building is being constructed, some exhibits will be on display in the neighboring National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame and the Omni Theater will reopen in May 2008, after renovations are made in that space.