This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon:On Tuesday, April 16, 1963, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium opened to record crowds flocking to see Forest Park’s newest cultural institution and learn about the stars.
On Tuesday, April 16, 2013, the planetarium celebrates its 50th anniversary, with better and newer technology and an expanding ability to explore and view our solar system.
A lot has changed in 50 years, from the tools used to study the universe, such as satellites that get beyond the limits of the earth’s atmosphere, to projection systems that allow those on the ground to better see what bare eyes can’t.
Fascination with what’s out there hasn’t changed, though, and through several incarnations, the McDonnell Planetarium has helped people in St. Louis explore what’s beyond the skies.
Voyager
Charles Schweighauser was teaching astronomy and English at St. Louis Country Day School when a parent told the young St. Louis man about the construction of the new planetarium. You should apply to be the director, the parent said.
Schweighauser figured he was too young.
But on May 31, 1961, the day before his 25th birthday, he got the job. He was, at least, too young and exhilarated to see limitations.
“When you’re that young,” he says, “anything is possible; and you’ve got the energy to carry it out.”
It took about 18 months for construction to finish, a staff to be hired and trained, and the projection system to be delivered from Japan.
But on that April day 50 years ago, people were ready. The media had been supportive of the planetarium, Schweighauser remembers. Gyo Obata’s design made the cover of the phone book in full color, as well as gathering lots of other attention.
The staff that day was excited and well-trained. And from mid-April to the end of August, Schweighauser says, about 100,000 people came through the doors.
“During the summer of 1963, we had to run many extra shows, because there were so many people in the park.”
Tickets to the shows back then cost 50 cents, 25 for kids. That June, Schweighauser got a call from James McDonnell of McDonnell Aircraft. Schweighauser knew McDonnell from going to school with his son, and he also knew the call was coming. So when McDonnell offered a financial gift, Schweighauser already knew what he wanted: school programs, exhibits and a lecture series.
The planetarium opened, Schweighauser says, as the country looked out to space, and now, in St. Louis, there was a new place to help them do that.
Enterprise
In 1983, the planetarium closed briefly for renovations and to merge with the Museum of Science and Natural History in Oak Knoll Park. In 1985, the space reopened as the St. Louis Science Center. That first day, July 20, was also John Lakey’s first day, though not as the Planetarium’s director, a job he currently holds.
Lakey started as an usher.
“I just absolutely fell in love with the place,” Lakey says. “I felt like it was a place that I just wanted to be in and learn everything about.”
Lakey was about 20 then, studying symphonic percussion, but he was also a space nut.
While he worked as an usher, the planetarium unveiled a new projection system.
In 1999, the planetarium closed again, reopening in 2001 with a total renovation. With the new look came a bigger dome on the inside, from 60 feet in diameter to 80, making it the largest in North America, Lakey says.
Now, the McDonnell Planetarium has the best optical star projection system out there, as well as exhibits featuring ships built in St. Louis and walls full of space memorabilia.
And as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the planetarium is offering visitors the chance to share their opinions about where to go in the future.
Into darkness
The official anniversary of the McDonnell Planetarium happens on Tuesday, April 16, but festivities begin this weekend, with exhibits and shows designed to show the connections between the planetarium and St. Louis.
Those tell the story of how the iconic building came to be, including interactive models to help visitors understand the shape of the building, a hyperparaboloid. The many artifacts include early drawings and the original phonebook cover the building was featured on in 1963, as well as a scrapbook from Schweighauser with clippings and memorabilia from the time.
A section showcases planetarium as theater, says Jenny Heim, director of strategic planning and programs at the St. Louis Science Center, which features early projectors, including the Goto Projector from Japan.
Early staff of the planetarium had to get creative, Heim says, and sometimes used everyday objects to create special effects. Visitors will get to play with those same kinds of things too, to see if they can turn baby food jars into something celestial.
During celebrations, the planetarium is also bringing back the laser show “Laserium,” which premiered in 1975.
And Tuesday, April 16, Schweighauser, now a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois-Springfield, will talk about what’s changed in 50 years as new discoveries are made. Check here for a full schedule of events. In addition to planned events, the planetarium also wants to hear people's own stories, Heim says. Stories, photos and videos can be submitted at memories@slsc.org.
Next generation
A lot has changed in 50 years, including people’s options.
As the '60s progressed, Schweighauser says, people had television, and an ever-increasing flow of technology to bring them information.
“When I was there, we never had to worry about that,” he says. “We were the only show in town.”
They’re certainly not any more. But along with exhibits that celebrate the past, the planetarium is looking forward, Lakey says, inviting guests to share what they’d like to see in the future, (the return of seats?) and offering them a glimpse of the newest technology, which allows people to experience what’s happening across space using the latest data in high resolution and full color.
“It’s an innovative experience that you can’t really experience anywhere else,” he says.
We’ve gotten much more able, thanks to technology, to view what’s out there, Schweighauser says. The universe remains a mystery, in large part, he says, and as more and more becomes clear, he hopes places like the planetarium can help us make sense of it all.