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 * New York Hall of Science
 * https://nysci.org/pdf/45.4-Sample-Article_Buchner.pdf
 * https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/2811094.2811122
 * (((("world's fair" OR "worlds fair" OR "world fair") AND ("science" "hall" OR "science" "museum")) OR "science hall" OR "hall of science" OR "NYSCI") AND ("flushing meadows" OR "flushing meadow" OR "Corona" OR "queens" OR "new york")) NOT ("spare times" OR "display ad" OR "classified ad" OR "advertisement" OR "arrival of buyers" OR "paid notice")

The New York Hall of Science, also known as NYSCI, is a science museum at 4701 111th Street, within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the Corona neighborhood of Queens in New York City. It occupies one of the few remaining structures from the 1964 New York World's Fair, along with annexes completed in 1996 and 2004. There are more than 400 hands-on exhibits, which focus on biology, chemistry, and physics.

The museum includes both the Hall of Science pavilion and the adjacent Space Park, which were developed for the 1964 New York World's Fair. The Hall of Science opened as a fair attraction on June 16, 1964, and reopened as a museum on September 21, 1966. Following an attempt to renovate the museum in the 1980s, the museum was temporarily shuttered in January 1981 for a renovation. Due to financial issues, the museum was abandoned after the renovation was completed in 1983. Alan J. Friedman took over the museum, reopening it in 1986; he oversaw two subsequent annexes, which were completed in 1996 and 2004 respectively. The original building was renovated between 2009 and 2015, and it was temporarily closed during the early 2020s.

The museum mainly focuses on children's education. The museum includes a large permanent collection as well as a range of travelling exhibitions.

World's Fair use
The current New York Hall of Science museum includes both the Hall of Science pavilion and the adjacent Space Park at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens. Both structures were originally constructed for the 1964 New York World's Fair, which U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower had approved in 1959. Before the Hall of Science was constructed, New York City had no science-specific museum. There had been a small science museum, the New York Museum of Science and Industry, at Rockefeller Center until the 1940s.

Development
U.S. Representative Seymour Halpern introduced legislation in 1960 to provide funding for a permanent science museum, library, and auditorium at the fair. Robert Moses, who was the president of the World's Fair Corporation (WFC), also advocated for a large science museum at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. Moses initially supported the creation of a science museum at the nearby United States Pavilion. In 1962, City Councilmember Bernard H. Manheimer introduced legislation in the New York City Council to establish a science museum for $15–20 million. At the time, nine sites were under discussion, including the World's Fair site. Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr. and City Council president Paul R. Screvane supported a science museum at the World's Fair. The proposed science museum was to be located at 111th Street near the Long Island Rail Road tracks in Corona, on a site that other exhibitors had shunned. Screvane wanted to obtain funding for the exhibits from an unspecified private foundation, which rejected the request as "weak".

A competing museum, the New York Museum of Science and Technology, had received a charter from the New York state government in December 1962. The museum's board preferred erecting a building in Manhattan, saying that the World's Fair building would contain only 50000 ft2, cost up to $8.5 million, and could not be ready within a year. There were concerns that the World's Fair site would be too far from Manhattan, even though there was a New York City Subway station nearby at 111th Street. Another institution, the New York Academy of Sciences, wanted to build a 21-story science museum at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Nonetheless, in April 1963, the Hall of Science at the World's Fair received approval from Wagner, the New York City Planning Commission, and the City Council. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller authorized the city government to negotiate with nonprofit organizations to operate the Hall of Science.

Wallace K. Harrison was hired to design the museum, which was to include 32000 ft2 of exhibit space on two levels. Initially, the city allocated $3.5 million to the Hall of Science, taking funds that had been earmarked for an incinerator. Work on the Hall of Science began on June 19, 1963. By that October, the museum needed another $1.6 million in funding. To expedite the Hall of Science's construction, Harrison decided to prefabricate the concrete panels for the museum building, rather than pouring the panels on-site. That month, Wagner approved a $5.5 million contract for the construction of the World's Fair museum, and he provided a $474,000 appropriation for the museum. There were also disputes over who would operate the Hall of Science. Moses claimed that the Museum of Science and Technology's board had no control over the museum, and he wished to appoint a new board for the Hall of Science. Moses planned to retain the Hall of Science after the fair, and he wanted to construct two additional structures for the museum when the fair closed.

Concurrently, the WFC had set aside 5.5 acre for an "aerospace island" on the western section of the fairground, next to the Ford Motor Company and General Motors pavilions. In March 1964, U.S. governmental officials announced that they would operate the United States Space Park at the fair, with various spacecraft loaned by NASA. The federal government planned to spend $650,000 on the land and $1 million on the exhibits. William Whipple Jr., the engineer overseeing the fair's construction, indicated that the Hall of Science would not be completed in time for the fair's planned opening on April 22, 1964. By mid-1964, the Hall of Science's cost had increased to $7,587,432, more than twice the original cost estimate.

Operation
The Hall of Science's basement exhibits opened on June 16, 1964, but the building was not officially dedicated until September 9, 1964. Originally, the Hall of Science housed exhibits related to science and health, most of which were sponsored by private businesses. Abbott Laboratories, American Cancer Society, Ames Company, Hearing Aid Industry Conference, Office of Civil Defense, American Chemical Society, Dow Corning, General Aniline & Film, International Telephone & Telegraph, United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and Upjohn Company sponsored exhibits in the pavilion. The biological and chemical exhibits included models of the brain, molecular biology, the human digestive system, and hearing aids. There were also exhibits about cancer detection, ocean life, and nuclear-war survival. The pavilion also included a space film, three space vehicles, the Atomsville USA children's exhibit, a "color tree", and a model of a busy airport with an air control tower. In addition, there was a cylindrical laboratory measuring 12 by across. Many of these exhibits were to be preserved after the fair.

When the Space Park opened, it included three rockets measuring 90 to 110 ft tall, in addition to the Discoverer 14 satellite and several full-scale models of satellites and rockets. Among the other objects displayed there were a lunar excursion module, Thor and Atlas space launch vehicles, a space capsule from Project Mercury, and an Agena target vehicle. Twenty-one young male "hosts" were hired to spend 60 hours memorizing space facts, then answer visitors' questions about the Space Park. Because of its secluded location, the Space Park recorded 6,000 to 7,000 daily visitors by mid-1964, making it among the fair's less popular structures.

The first season of the World's Fair ended on October 18, 1964. That December, the city government and Moses appointed 16 trustees to oversee the Hall of Science's operation. Wagner directed the trustees to devise ideas for converting the pavilion to a museum. The pavilion was to be taken over by a nonprofit museum, and the U.S. government also planned to give the Space Park to the Hall of Science. The second and final season of the fair ran from April 21 to October 17, 1965. During that season, the Hall of Science hosted science exhibits. The U.S. government also added exhibits to the Space Park to celebrate notable events in spaceflight; for instance, the spacecraft from the Gemini 4 mission was displayed during mid-1965. The Hall of Science needed at least $5 million to continue operating after the fair. That funding had not been raised by the end of the fair, prompting the pavilion's temporary closure.

Conversion to museum
The Mayor's Committee on the Future of Flushing Meadow recommended in mid-1965 that the Hall of Science be retained after the fair, though most other fairground structures would be destroyed. The City Council voted in December 1965 to allocate $67,000 to the Hall of Science. By early 1966, the Hall of Science was one of the few remaining structures on the World's Fair site, and the trustees were working to convert the structure into a permanent museum. The Hall of Science's trustees wanted to convert the nearby Ford and United States pavilions into additional space for the Hall of Science, but Moses instead wanted the Ford rotunda to be demolished. Additionally, the city government considered illuminating the pavilion's facade nightly after the fair ended. William D. Laurence was hired to create a report on the museum. Laurence proposed the construction of two wings known as the Hall of Inventions and Hall of Discovery, to be staffed by "actors playing the parts of great scientists and inventors".

In the meantime, the city spent $6 million to add exhibits to the existing pavilion. The Hall of Science officially opened to the public as a museum on September 21, 1966, and initially did not charge an admission fee. The museum rented the land from the city for a nominal fee. Most of the original exhibits were in the base and included exhibits themed to space and nuclear power. There were also exhibits about subjects such as mathematics and electricity, in addition to a "little red schoolhouse" exhibit for younger children. Many exhibits were holdovers from the World's Fair; for example, the Atomsville USA exhibit was preserved, and the New York Telephone Company's exhibit was split into several exhibits about technology. Other exhibits were modified, such as the basement auditorium, which became an exhibit about power plants. Each exhibit also included a telephone handset or a push-button that provided explanations to visitors. The Great Hall on the upper stories hosted a single exhibit: a space film by the Martin Marietta Company. In total, the original exhibits covered about 25000 ft2.

Early years
Two thousand children were visiting the museum daily by early 1967, and Emanuel R. Piore was appointed as the Hall of Science's president that November. Francis D. Miller served as the museum's director. The museum accommodated two million visitors within two years of its opening, mainly school classes and families. Exhibits, including a replica of a lunar spacecraft's interior, were added in the late 1960s. A fence and lights were added around the Space Park in 1970 after the Atlas rocket was bombed. Generally, during the late 1960s and 1970s, funding for the museum was diverted to other projects citywide.

Unfinished 1960s expansion
In early 1966, the AEC offered up to $5 million for a nuclear-education center at the museum. The city accepted the AEC's offer in April 1966 and allocated $3 million for the project. The city government had to obtain $300,000 for its design. The New York City Board of Estimate allocated $75,000 for the design in June 1966, and Mayor John V. Lindsay approved a design contract the next month. The expansion was tentatively planned to include a nuclear science center and an exhibit building. The nuclear science center would have contained a nuclear reactor, playground, television studio, laboratories, and a classroom, in addition to three exhibit halls. The education and exhibit building would have included more classrooms, where experiments and demonstrations would be broadcast over televisions. Both structures would have surrounded the original Hall of Science, though no funds had been raised for the education building. In addition, Max O. Urbahn was hired to design more structures around the Hall of Science.

Final plans for the five-story, 190,000 ft2 nuclear education center were announced in June 1967. Concurrently, Lindsay sought to obtain another $6.5 million from the city and $1.5 million for a nuclear reactor from the AEC. Later that year, the city allocated $10.8 million for the project, even as the New York City Planning Commission published a report criticizing the museum building as having "limited salvage value" and a poor design. The museum also agreed to raise $10 million from private sources. Work on the expansion commenced in June 1968. The AEC announced plans for the Hall of Science's "atomarium", a 150-seat auditorium surrounding a nuclear reactor, in January 1969. The nuclear reactor was to be placed in a pool under the atomarium. There would have been another auditorium and an amphitheater nearby, as well as classrooms, laboratories, a computer center, and more exhibits. The Cayuga Construction Corporation was hired as the nuclear center's construction contractor in October 1969, and work on the annex's foundation started in February 1970.

Hall of Science officials announced in 1970 that the building would close the following year so the renovation could be completed. The museum developed several portable exhibits in anticipation of the closure. The museum building closed in mid-1971, although the Space Park was kept open. The Board of Estimate gave the Hall of Science another $12.5 million for renovations the same year, and the city considered allowing the Hall of Science to charge an admission fee. Once local residents learned that the nuclear reactor would be a live reactor and not a model, they began protesting the plans. The city had spent $2.5 million on the expansion by December 1971, when the project was indefinitely halted due to a lack of funds. The museum had not been able to raise $7 million privately, and voters had failed to approve a municipal bond issue that would have funded the project. The $25 million earmarked for the museum was instead used for the original Yankee Stadium. The nuclear reactor was canceled entirely, since the museum would have been required to pay a penalty for not using the reactor.

1970s
Even after the museum's expansion had been halted, the museum was still slated to receive $1 million for basic maintenance, though the museum's director at the time, Robert C. Reiley, later said that the museum never received these funds. Some small exhibits, a weather station, a hatchery, a planetarium, and an amateur radio station. Most of the objects in the Space Park were moved to Montreal due to a lack of operating funds. After the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation donated funds, the museum reopened on November 19, 1972. Reiley hoped to complete the expansion by 1976, and local civic groups asked the city to complete the renovation. Ahead of the United States Bicentennial, the museum received funding for a large exhibit about scientists in New York state. In addition, Queens' deputy borough president considered allocating $550,000 for an expansion of the Hall of Science. A planetarium was added in 1973 after the museum received funds from the Charles Hayden Foundation.

By the mid-1970s, the site of the proposed annex was decaying, and the Space Park had been vandalized extensively and was closed to the public. The city government had reduced funding for the museum significantly amid the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, and the museum could not afford even $80,000 for a climate control system. In addition, the Hall of Science reduced its operating hours and fired some staff, and volunteers maintained its exhibits. The exhibits were outdated; one of its attractions was a film from 1963, predicting that people would land on the moon some day. Because of the lack of investment in the museum, its staff had taken to calling it the "Hole of Science". Nonetheless, the Hall of Science was the third-most-popular museum of any kind in the city, as well as one of Flushing Meadows' most popular attractions, in the 1970s. It was also one of the most popular science museums in the United States.

The museum sought to host additional cultural and scientific events by the late 1970s, and the Japanese government repaired the Space Park's Atlas rocket in 1978 and temporarily exhibited it in Tokyo. Robert A. Matthai took over as the museum's director in May 1979. A 23 ft geodesic dome with a greenhouse was opened at the museum's entrance in June 1980. By then, the museum hosted scientific demonstrations throughout the day, in addition to its spaceflight exhibits, planetarium, and amateur radio station. The museum still had no climate control system, and its air-conditioning system had been broken for several years. In addition, large parts of the building were rarely used, many of the original exhibits were in storage, and the only public entrance to the museum was through the basement.

Initial work and funding issues
In 1980, the city government allocated $2.9 million to completely renovate the museum, which was later increased to $3.5 million. The Hall of Science's board agreed to raise another $6 million for exhibits. Because of budgetary constraints, Matthai had to fire half of the museum's 40-person staff before the renovation began. The museum closed for renovation on January 5, 1981, for a renovation that was expected to take two years. The magazine editor Dennis Flanagan, a museum trustee, devised plans for the renovation. The project was supposed to include 29000 ft2 of additional exhibit space, a media center, multipurpose rooms, a 300-seat auditorium, and a 100-seat planetarium just outside. Flanagan's plan called for exhibits to be organized into five sections (the universe, matter, energy, biology, and communication). Each section would occupy one side of the museum's hexagonal base and would be distinguished through color-coding and two-story models.

Museum staff continued to present programs at local schools, and they mounted exhibits within libraries and stores. In the three years after the building closed, the museum spent $800,000 on staff salaries. The contract for the renovation was awarded to Thomason Industry in 1982. That May, the New York Daily News wrote that the space park models had peeling paint and graffiti, while the museum's moat was filled with "chipped cement and scattered stones". Work on the renovation began that June, by which the project's cost had increased to $11 million.

A group of experts prepared a report for the city government in July 1983, stating that the museum was too small, hard to reach, and unattractive to corporate sponsors. Subsequently, the city's cultural affairs commissioner Bess Myerson halted almost all funding to the museum and recommended that the museum be moved to Manhattan. At the time, the Hall of Science's board of directors had been able to raise only $40,000 for exhibits. The renovation had been stopped abruptly, leaving the museum with just three staff, even though the project was nearly complete. Queens borough president Donald Manes appointed additional people to the museum's board, and public-relations executive Nicholas Ludington recommended doubling the board's size to 40. The Board of Estimate ultimately restored funding to the museum in late 1983, following negotiations with Manes and Myerson. The city also gave the museum $1 million in 1984 for exhibits.

New director and reopening
In September 1984, the New York City government hired physicist Alan J. Friedman as the director of the museum. At the time, the museum had no exhibits, and the floor was flooded. Friedman recalled that he "walked through water" to get to his interview with Myerson and Queens deputy borough president Claire Shulman. Myerson offered to fund half of the museum if Friedman raised the remaining half, and Friedman expanded the museum's staff to 14 within a few months of being hired. The museum began focusing on interactive exhibits for children and outreach to school groups, including portable planetariums and a library. Friedman announced plans for exhibits on such disparate topics as astronomy, communications, light, robotics, and physics. Workers added a third story of exhibit space, office space, and classrooms, and they replaced a leaking roof and mechanical systems. The restored Hall of Science had 100 exhibits; though most of the exhibits were built by the Exploratorium for IBM, although some of the exhibits were built by the Hall of Science's staff.

The Hall of Science temporarily reopened in early 1985 when the Ontario Science Centre presented its Science Circus exhibit there. Friedman also solicited feedback from young visitors prior to the formal reopening, and he adjusted some of the museum's exhibits to address visitors' misconceptions about scientific principles. The museum soft-reopened in July 1986, with 90 activities and exhibits open to the public. It was rededicated on October 8, 1986, after $9 million in renovations. The museum employed 35 college students who explained and demonstrated the exhibits to visitors, and the upper-level Great Hall was to be used for scientific demonstrations and ceremonies. Further renovations were planned over the following decade, and staff members expected that the renovated Hall of Science would attract up to 700,000 visitors a year.

The Hall of Science continued to develop exhibits and programs in the late 1980s, such as an interactive biology exhibit and electronic kiosks. Annual attendance increased 25% per year in the four years after the museum reopened, leading the city to pursue a further expansion. Friedman estimated in 1988 that the Hall of Science had 5,000 weekly visitors, of which 60 percent were youth groups and school groups. An artwork was also installed at the Hall of Science in 1990 as part of the city government's Percent for Art initiative. By the early 1990s, the museum had 150 interactive activities and over 250,000 annual visitors. Because the museum did not have a prominent main entrance, many passersby assumed that the museum was not open.

Early 1990s expansion
In 1991, the museum announced plans for a ten-year, $80 million renovation and expansion. The first phase of the expansion was to cost $13 million and was slated to include a two-story entrance rotunda with an auditorium, gift shop, and cafeteria. This expansion also added 28400 ft2 of public space. Hall of Science officials estimated that the expansion would increase the museum's annual attendance from 220,000 to 1.5 million people. Originally scheduled to begin in mid-1992, work on the expansion began that December. The state government provided $1 million for the project, and the museum remained open during the expansion. The federal government also provided $2.5 million for the installation of a remote-controlled telescope, and the "Singing Shadows" exhibit was added in the mid-1990s. The Great Hall was temporarily closed in 1994 after a metal object dropped from the ceiling and killed a visitor.

While the rotunda was still under construction, Friedman announced plans in early 1995 for a 20000 ft2 science playground at the Hall of Science. The playground was planned to cost $2 million and include dozens of physics-themed exhibits, attractions, and structures. The new main entrance building was finished in April 1996, and two exhibits were simultaneously added. At the time, the museum had more than 160 or nearly 170 activities and exhibits. The science playground was completed in June 1997. Yet another exhibit, Marvelous Molecules, was dedicated at the Hall of Science in 1999.

Late 1990s and early 2000s
By 1999, the museum was planning to spend $55 million on a second expansion, including $35 million from the city government and $20 million from corporate and individual donors. At the time, the museum building had 35000 ft2 of exhibits and was often overcrowded. The expansion would include new exhibition space and the restoration of the former Space Park rockets, but Friedman did not want to add an IMAX theater, citing his preference for interactive exhibits.

Work on a second expansion began in November 2001, in spite of reduced revenue and attendance after the September 11 attacks. The city government provided three-fifths of the project's $68 million budget. The renovation included the construction of the 50000 ft2 north wing to the northeast of the original pavilion. Two of the museum's rockets were temporarily removed in 2001 and sent to Akron, Ohio, where the construction firm Thomarios renovated the rockets. Following a $2 million renovation, the rockets were reinstalled in 2003. By the mid-2000s, the museum had about 225 exhibits. Following the completion of the second annex, Friedman retired in 2006, at which point it had 450,000 annual visitors and 100 staff members.

2006 to present
Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership designed a miniature golf course for the museum, which opened in June 2009.

Museum officials also began restoring the original pavilion, the Great Hall, the same year. After the Great Hall's facade was renovated, workers restored the interior, upgraded mechanical systems, and added waterproofing. The Great Hall reopened in June 2015 following a renovation of its facade. A renovation of the exterior plazas continued through late 2015. In October 2019, the New York Hall of Science received a $500,000 grant for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The same year, the science playground was closed for renovation.

The New York Hall of Science temporarily closed its building in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. During the closure, the museum hosted activities online. The museum reopened in July 2021, but it was forced to close again that September after it was flooded during Hurricane Ida. Flood waters submerged the basement and destroyed half of the exhibits, though the newer north wing was not damaged. Margaret Honey, the museum's president, estimated that the museum had sustained $25 million in damage and that, without further green infrastructure, the museum would remain vulnerable to flooding. Part of the museum again reopened in February 2022, and the rest of the museum reopened that October after the museum's staff added three exhibits. The mini-golf course was also renovated in 2022 after a sinkhole formed there, and the science playground reopened in October 2023.

Collection and exhibits
The New York Hall of Science mainly targets its exhibits at children ages 1–17, and its audience consists primarily of local children with little scientific knowledge. The museum includes a large permanent collection as well as a range of traveling exhibitions. The original incarnation of the Hall of Science focused on science fiction and futuristic exhibits. After it reopened in 1986, the museum focused on interactive exhibits for children. In particular, the present museum was intended to attract younger children. For one exhibit, a museum staffer invented a specialized high-resolution microscope, which was later used around the world. Scientific demonstrations are also hosted.

Permanent exhibits
Since the Hall of Science's 1980s renovation, the museum has largely focused on interactive objects, devices, and other items that visitors can touch or operate. Many exhibits are made of commonplace objects, such as a stationary bicycle that powers a propeller. Next to each exhibit or activity are small signs describing the scientific principle that is being demonstrated. In addition, there are activities such as bubble-making stations and an area where children can create arches using toy blocks.

The original building includes various interactive attractions. For example, there is an atomic model with lights representing atoms' changing quantum states. Another exhibit, "Seeing the Light", uses light beams, mirrors, and other objects to create optical illusions. The Hall of Science also includes a microbiology exhibit, Hidden Kingdoms, with microscopes and an aquarium. Two exhibits were added to the original building's basement in 2022: "Powering the City", about New York City's power grid, and "Small Discoveries", about microorganisms.

The museum's Great Hall contains The Appointed Cloud, a sculptural sound installation by Yoshi Wada, in which visitors can press buttons to play various tones. In 2015, the exhibit "Connected Worlds" opened within the Great Hall.

The north wing's ground story contains "Human Plus", an exhibit about technology for people with physical disabilities. The north wing has hosted an exhibit on happiness since 2021.
 * Gingerbread Lane
 * Hidden Kingdoms: The World of Microbes
 * Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond
 * Preschool Place
 * Science Technology Library
 * The Search for Life Beyond the Earth
 * Seeing the Light
 * Sound Sensations: The Inside Story of Audio
 * The Sports Challenge
 * Technology Gallery
 * Amateur Radio Station

Former permanent exhibits
The Hall of Science rented a small planetarium for six months in 1970. A permanent planetarium at the Hall of Science opened in 1972; the planetarium could accommodate 55 visitors and had a dome with a 20 ft diameter. In addition, the museum hosted a hatchery, amateur radio station, and weather station during the 1970s, and its exhibits included a power-plant model, full-size airplane, submarine, and nine trucks. The other exhibits included a "sound telescope" and showcases of optical illusions, stereoscopy, and xerography. All of the original exhibits were sold off during the 1980s.

In the late 1980s, there were electronic kiosks next to two of the exhibits, which provided information about each exhibit. "Sound Sensations", a collection of 20 objects where visitors could produce music, was added to the museum in the 1990s. During that decade, there was also a technology gallery, where visitors could access the internet, and an exhibit named "Window on the Universe", where visitors could view computer images from the Galileo spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope.

Temporary exhibits
The Hall of Science has hosted numerous temporary exhibits, although many of its exhibits in the 1960s and 1970s had only a dubious connection to science. In the early and mid-1970s, these included a showcase of multimedia artworks that demonstrated scientific principles, a film about celestial deities, prints by Yugoslav artists, Polish textiles, and firefighting antiques. During the U.S. bicentennial celebrations, the museum organized multiple exhibits about local and U.S. history, including exhibits about Polish-American culture, urban planning, and chemical technology. Other exhibits during the late 1970s and early 1980s included displays about minerals of New York state, wood-burning stoves, the aviation industry, a ski simulator, and tennis matches seen through microscopes. In 1985, the museum temporarily hosted 60 interactive exhibits, such as optical illusions and ball games, as part of the Science Circus.

After the museum's 1980s renovation, temporary exhibits were presented in its Great Hall. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the museum hosted exhibits on such topics as construction equipment, early European and North American scientific discoveries, sports training, and HIV/AIDS. The museum also sponsored standalone exhibitions across the city, such as diffraction gratings on bus-stop shelters, tidal markings at the South Street Seaport, an exhibit on manhole covers, and an exhibit about the city's mechanical systems. The museum building's exhibits in the late 1990s included exhibits based on the TV series The Magic School Bus and Beakman's World, in addition to shows about insects and cinematic illusions.

Programs
The museum's earliest programs included New York Regents Examinations test-preparation classes for high school students, as well as the Space Age Stargazers program. In the 1970s, the Hall of Science hosted summer classes for children in its Little Red Schoolhouse, in addition to amateur-radio operation classes. After it reopened in 1986, the museum provided a training program for students majoring in science, who could receive tuition waivers to study at the nearby Queens College in exchange for teaching science in New York City's public schools. During the 1990s, the museum trained local public-school teachers to use video microscopes and other equipment, and it hosted workshops for students from grades Pre-K through 8. The museum also added a JROTC program and an astronomy lab in 1993 following a $2.5 million federal grant.

Since 2014, the New York Hall of Science has operated the Alan J. Friedman Center, a youth education center. Among the Friedman Center's programs is the Science Career Ladder, which has operated since the 1980s. As part of the Science Career Ladder, high school and college students are employed as docents to explain scientific concepts to students. The museum also operates another program that trains teachers. In the 2020s, the museum began hosting interactive events for families as part of its Summertime at NYSCI program.

Events
The Hall of Science organizes various events. Its earliest events included paper airplane contests, science fair competitions, and spacecraft watch parties. After the museum's 1980s renovation, its events included Sky High Summer flight demonstrations, the SpringWorks art and technology exhibition, and Halloween parties. Some of the museum's activities have commemorated specific events. For example, the museum hosted eclipse watch parties during the solar eclipses of February 26, 1979, and April 8, 2024. Ahead of the STS-34 spacecraft launch in 1989, the museum collected telegrams from visitors, which were placed on Space Shuttle Atlantis. In addition, the museum had an indoor skating rink during 2022. The museum's Great Hall has been rented out for private events as well.

There are also seasonal events. The Queens Night Market takes place every year in the museum's parking lot, operating on Sundays between April and October. Informal ecua-volley courts for local residents are also set up in the parking lot during the summers. The New York Hall of Science started hosting Maker Faire, a do-it-yourself science and technology convention, in 2010; the convention was hosted there annually until 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum hosted events to help the community, including food drives, aid distribution, and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Building
Next to the Hall of Science's parking lot is the Mosaic Pre-K Center.

Original building
The original building is a pavilion that originally covered 21 acre. It was designed by Wallace K. Harrison. At the base of the original pavilion is a hexagonal structure, which originally had a reflecting pool and fountains above it. Above the base is the Great Hall, an amoeba-shaped structure with a concrete wall that curves inward. This structure measures 80 ft high. The facade is made of 22 curved panels, each measuring 13 in thick. Each panel is divided into a grid of rectangles, measuring 9 across and 28 high. The rectangles were built using the dalle de verre method, with blue glass pieces inlaid into the concrete. In total, there are 5,400 rectangles. Henry Lee Willet has been credited with the design of the facade.

The main entrance was through a gap in the facade and reflecting pool, where visitors passed through a set of revolving doors. This entrance was accessed by a long ramp. The interior of the Great Hall is supported by massive reinforced concrete beams. The hexagonal base was connected to the Great Hall via a stairway and elevator. The base is known as the Central Pavilion. A third mezzanine level, with 15000 ft2 of exhibit space, was added in the 1980s.

Expansions
The main entrance building was completed in 1996 and designed by Beyer Blinder Belle. The structure faces west toward 111th Street, rather than east toward the park; according to the primary architect Frederick Bland, this was done because he wanted the museum to "face the city". This structure includes a rotunda measuring 47 ft high. It includes a 300-seat dining room, gift shop, cloakroom, 300-seat auditorium, and computer rooms. On the rotunda's second floor is Fred Tomaselli's artwork Ten Kilometer Radius, mounted onto a handrail. The artwork consists of 72 peepholes, each depicting a building within 10 km of the museum that can be seen from that direction.

Attached to the north wing is the Viscusi Gallery, an elliptical space covering 4000 ft2.

Rocket Park
Next to the New York Hall of Science is Rocket Park, originally a 2 acre world's fair exhibit called the Space Park. Rocket Park includes a genuine Atlas rocket and Titan II rocket. The Atlas rocket is 102 ft high and made of stainless steel, while the Titan rocket is 110 ft high and made of an aluminum alloy. The rockets also included space capsules that weighed about 2 ST apiece. Built in 1961 for the United States Air Force, the rockets never saw military use and were instead displayed in the 1964 World's Fair, albeit with the fuel tanks removed. The rockets were rebuilt in 2003 with new foundations, new interior framework, and repainted exteriors. A third rocket, a Saturn model, was demolished.

Within Rocket Park is a nine-hole miniature golf course, which includes several obstacles that teach children about physics. For example, one hole has a rotating wheel where golfers must hit a ball within a specified launch window, and other holes have obstacles such as vertical loops and tunnels. The mini-golf course requires an additional fee.

Science Playground
Outside the museum is the 30000 ft2 Science Playground. The playground opened in 1997 and was inspired by a similar playground that Alan Friedman saw in India. There were originally 27 structures in the playground, each intended to teach children physics concepts. The playground includes a large nest, a dome, and a tower, in addition to a water playground and sandboxes. There is also a "sound station" with pipes, bells, and xylophones. The Science Playground also charges an admission fee.

Governance
The New York Hall of Science is operated by a nonprofit organization of the same name, dedicated to hosting exhibits, events, and education programs related to science. The museum is part of the Cultural Institutions Group, composed of cultural and educational institutions in New York City. The museum was designated as a New York City cultural institution in 1996.

Funding
During the 1960s, the New York City government provided one-third of the museum's budget, while philanthropic, corporate, and individual donors provided the rest. This funding arrangement remained in place through the 1970s, when the museum had a $500,000 annual budget, amid a reduction in city funding for the Hall of Science. In the late 1980s, the museum spent $3.5 million annually on operations, increasing to $5 million by the early 1990s. Two-fifths of the money came from city funds, while the rest of the operating budget came from admissions, state and federal grants, and corporate and private donations. Funding to the museum was reduced significantly in the early 1990s. During that decade, the Hall of Science partnered with Liberty Science Center in New Jersey to raise funding for both museums. The Hall of Science's operating budget stood at $7.5 million by 1998, of which 35% came from ticket sales and from renting out the building for events.

By the mid-2000s, the museum had an operating budget of $11.5 million, of which 13 percent was provided by the city government. In 2005, the museum received part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which had been made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. The museum continued to receive funding from a number of sources essential to its operation and expansion.


 * The museum has also received grants over the years for specific programs. The United States Department of Energy gave the museum $39,000 in 1980 to host workshops about energy. In 2000, the National Institutes of Health gave the Hall of Science nearly $1 million to develop a traveling exhibit about molecules. The New York Hall of Science also partnered with the AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence (ARNI). In May 2023, the office of U.S. Representative Grace Meng provided $500,000 so the museum could host activities, programs, and exhibits for ARNI.

Admission
In its first two years of operation, the museum had two million total visitors. Most of the museum's early visitors were students on class trips or families. During the 1970s, the museum accommodated 3,000 daily visitors on average, and it often saw 10,000 to 20,000 visitors per weekend. Visitor numbers increased significantly in the late 1990s, and the museum recorded 296,000 visitors in 1998. By 2006, the museum had 450,000 annual visitors.

Museum commentary
Of the museum itself, The New York Times wrote in 1966 that the original pavilion was inadequate for museum use. The next year, the New York Daily News praised the exhibits as "interesting yet educational" attractions for children. Good Housekeeping magazine ranked the museum in 1991 as one of the United States' 10 best science museums. Following the 1990s renovation, a writer for The Record said the museum "was a thoroughly modern science-technology center [and] a museum with a history", with "stimulating" exhibits.

Architectural commentary
After the Hall of Science opened as a fair pavilion in 1964, Ada Louise Huxtable described the structure as "an exotically handsome, highly romantic structure of great dramatic impact and considerable esthetic allure". A Christian Science Monitor reporter compared the original building to "a roll of cardboard stood on end". When the Hall of Science first opened as a museum in 1966, a New York Times writer described it as "a leftover from the recent World's Fair—and a hope for the future". A New York Times reporter from 1978 likened the museum building to a futuristic Stonehenge, and a New York Daily News article from 1982 characterized the building as "towering over a nook rich in culture". Robert A. M. Stern wrote in his 1995 book that the original structure fused "a timeless sense of drama with technological modernity". One critic from 1999 described the original 1964 building as "a glass-and-concrete cathedral to modernity".