ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute
of Popular Science [1939-1991] used a lower level
gallery for traveling and temporary exhibits. It is
called the Octagon Gallery, as it is located directly
under the Buhl Planetarium Theater of the Stars, which
was also designed as an octagon.

The Octagon Gallery actually encircles the Zeiss Pit,
where the historic Zeiss II Planetarium Projector
[until its 2002 dismantling, it was the oldest
operable major planetarium projector in the world!]
would be stored when the Planetarium Theater was used
for other purposes. Pittsburgh's Zeiss II was the
first planetarium projector placed on an elevator, to
allow multiple uses for the Planetarium Theater.

Public entry to the Octagon Gallery was through two
sets of double doors, in the center of the gallery. As
soon as someone entered one of those doors, from the
Mezzanine Gallery, they would immediately descend a
staircase into the Octagon Gallery. In the 1980s, a
chair-lift was installed on the western side of this
staircase, for use by the disabled.

Also, in the Summer of 1983 part of the Octagon
Gallery was dedicated to a Computer Learning Lab,
which included an early LAN of about 20 Apple IIe
computers. Previously, a small part of the Octagon
Gallery had housed five Texas Instruments computers.

For dimensions of the Octagon Gallery, here is a link
to an architectural drawing of the lower level of The
Buhl Planetarium and institute of Popular Science:

<
http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/BuhlarchitectLLfloorplans-2.GIF
>

gaw

--- Scott A Perich <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 14:04:31 -0500 
From: "Scott A Perich" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Gallery size for changing exhibits 
To: [log in to unmask] 

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of
> Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums
> and related institutions.
>
*****************************************************************************
> 
> For those who have a changing exhibit space for
> traveling exhibits, what is
> the approximate size (x and y; not total sq ft), and
> where is the main entry
> point (middle of wall, corner, flexible, etc.)
> 
> Thank you,
> Scott
> ____________________________________
> Scott A Perich
> Sr. Designer
> 
> Quatrefoil Associates
> 29 C Street, Laurel, MD  20707
> (T) 301.470.4748 / (F) 301.470.4749

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh
Electronic Mail - < [log in to unmask] > 
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://www.planetarium.cc > 
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago: 
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer & Optician John A. Brashear: 
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com > 
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries: 
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc > 
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh: 
  < http://www.incline.cc >


	
		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com

***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message  SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]