THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 8, 1995 TAG: 9509080157
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHAWN M. TERRY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
IMAGINE A NEON-illuminated orbiting solar system dangling above a lighthouse lens in the atrium of the Children's Museum of Virginia.
Now imagine starry-eyed children squealing with delight as they ride a flying carousel in that very same atrium.
Both visions for the museum's second floor were presented to the City Council Aug. 22 by the company that designed all 60 of its first-floor exhibits.
Although no date has been set for the action, the council will decide what attraction works best for the museum's second-floor atrium, which extends over the sidewalk on High Street.
Two months ago, council called on design experts to figure out what would work best: A 28-horse carousel or a huge triangular prism about 11 feet tall.
``Why don't we let them design the second floor,'' said Councilman James C. Hawks, after the brief atrium design presentation. ``They designed the first floor and everyone seems to be pleased. These guys are the experts.''
However, other council members have their own ideas.
Councilman Cameron Pitts, who originally proposed the atrium, wants the community and corporate sponsors to help buy a $240,000 carousel.
The lens from the Hog Island Lighthouse off the Eastern Shore was a gift to the city.
The only cost the city would incur would be moving it from a warehouse, where it's been stored for 25 years.
However, the use of the lens also would incur costs of the design, construction and installation of the neon-lighted, orbiting solar system above it. No cost estimates have been given.
``Council's role is not to determine what exhibits go into the museum, but to find funding for it,'' Hawks said.
Council at first was not enthusiastic about the idea of installing the atrium because of the cost. Ultimately, they agreed to the installation after Museum and Fine Arts Commissioners and the architect said it would improve the building.
``I felt the issue was over then. City council has more to do than trying to go around building carousels. I'm distinctly frustrated,'' Hawks said.
Although the atrium itself is six to eight weeks from completion, it could take a year for the construction of the entire second-floor phase of the museum to open.
``I think the lighthouse lens makes better use of the atrium although it was built with the carousel in mind,'' said Jay Paulus, an architectural engineer for the company.
Paulus of Kearney and Associates, a Northern Virginia-based firm, helped come up with the two conceptual designs. After his presentation, the council was divided.
Paulus said the $1 million toy-and-train collection centerpiece on the second floor, donated by Junie and Millie Lancaster, would fit the solar system design well.
He said the train collection, encased in a plastic tube along the wall, would run overhead as folks ascended the second floor escalators into a Victorian-style train station setting.
His design calls for 5,400 square feet of the 23,000 square feet area for the train collection.
The Hall of Sciences, which will include seven hands-on science laboratories, will range from navigation and astronomy to magnetism and electricity.
The labs will be housed on the second floor in addition to an educational center and an electronic library, fully equipped with computers.
``The interactives were more geared to the sciences with this design,'' Paulus said.
He said the museum's first-floor phase, which includes 60 interactive exhibits downstairs, will work well with the second-floor phase design. ``The lighthouse lens is a backdrop to astronomy and navigation.''
Flopping the Hall of Sciences wing to the rear of the building would create enough space for the 28 horse carousel, Paulus said.
However, Paulus said, the carousel's natural canopy somewhat closes the top of the atrium.
``I didn't think the sciences worked that well with the carousel,'' Paulus said.
Councilman Cameron C. Pitts said a children's museum should be a learning playground with a lot more hands-on exhibits.
``You use play to entice children to learn,'' Pitts said. ``The carousel is not a thrill ride, it's a fantasy dream.'' He said the ride is educational.
The push and pull motion of the crank that moves the horses up and down on the carousel can teach the children about science, Pitts said.
``I think the carousel would get more repeat visits to the museum. I don't know if you'll get a lot of repeat visits for a lens,'' he said.
The two designs for the atrium also were presented to the Portsmouth Museum and Fine Arts Commission, which recommended to council that the lens would fit in better with the science and education aspects of the museum.
The commission said that the prism would give a better nighttime visual effect and it would tie in with the Naval Shipyard museum and the Lightship museum, two blocks away from the Children's Museum.
Members of the Friends of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum officially supported the carousel plan, preferring to use the prism in a proposed new shipyard museum.
Not long ago, the commission was in favor of the carousel, but after seeing the presentation many members had a change of heart. They liked the lighthouse lens idea.
However, Michael B. Broadhurst, chairman of the commission, said the vote to bring the lens to the museum was ``lopsided'' and he wasn't pleased with the decision. ILLUSTRATION: The entrance to the Lancaster train and antique toy collection
at the Children's Museum of Virginia will set the tone for an
interactive learning experience.
The Halls of Sciences will be part of the second floor activity,
offering hands-on experiments to teach every day physics and
chemistry.
by CNB