Today in Texas History - October 5
Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 6:35 am
On this day in 1946, the Dallas Health Museum opened its first exhibit to the public. The museum was founded by a group of doctors, dentists, and lay people "to provide a common channel of enthusiastic effort for all the forces of health in Dallas and the Southwest." Dallas doctors Oscar Marchman and Milford Rouse were among the founders. The museum, which was the first to be devoted entirely to health in the Southwest and the second of its type in the nation, held its first exhibit at the State Fair of Texas. The Dallas Park Department supplied the building for this first exhibit, which borrowed items from area organizations and museums throughout the nation. During this first exhibition, held on October 5-20, 1946, 40,000 visitors attended the displays. On February 1, 1947, the museum opened full-time in a 10,000-square-foot space leased from the Dallas Park Department at Fair Park. In 2003, after several name changes and relocations, the museum is called the Science Place, and consists of a planetarium and a main building hosting exhibits and an IMAX theater.
This entry needs to be updated. When the Perot Museum opened downtown, the three museums at Fair Park were closed. After building renovation, a branch of the Perot Museum reopened in the old Museum of Natural History at Fair Park. The Imax theater is closed.
This entry needs to be updated. When the Perot Museum opened downtown, the three museums at Fair Park were closed. After building renovation, a branch of the Perot Museum reopened in the old Museum of Natural History at Fair Park. The Imax theater is closed.
