Children's Museum of Houston facts for kids
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | Houston, Texas |
| Type | Children's museum |
| Public transit access |
Red Line
Museum District |
The Children's Museum Houston (CMH) is a super fun place in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. It's a special museum just for kids! It started in 1980 and was designed by famous architects, Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi. The museum has lots of cool exhibits and learning programs. These programs are for children from babies all the way up to 12 years old. They are also offered in both English and Spanish. CMH is one of about 190 children's museums in the United States.
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How the Museum Started
The Children's Museum Houston was started in 1980 by Sharon Albert Brier. She got the idea after visiting the Denver Children's Museum with her son, Samson, who was eight years old. Sharon decided to create a similar museum in Houston. She set up the museum as a nonprofit organization. After looking at other children's museums, she put together the first group of leaders.
The museum first opened its doors in 1984. It was in a rented space at the Blaffer Gallery at the University of Houston. A few years later, it moved to a bigger rented space. This new spot was 11,000 square feet (about 1,000 square meters). It was in the old Star Engraving Company Building on Allen Parkway.
The museum's current building opened in November 1992. It is located at 1500 Binz in Houston's Museum District. This building is much larger, with 44,000 square feet (about 4,000 square meters) of space. It was designed to welcome 350,000 visitors each year. The building was created by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi. They worked with Jackson and Ryan Architects. They wanted the building to feel important like an adult place. But they also wanted it to be playful for children. By 1997, the museum was very popular. It was welcoming 700,000 visitors every year! The museum's director, Tammie Kahn, said that by 1997, it was clear the museum needed even more space. So, the museum started planning to get bigger in the late 1990s.
After 1992, the museum's offices were on the second floor of the main building. In 2009, these offices moved to a new building. This new office space was 17,000 square feet (about 1,600 square meters). It was built near the museum, at Binz and Crawford streets. Now, a program called the Institute for Family Learning uses the second floor of the museum.
Growing Bigger: Museum Expansion
In 2009, the museum finished a big expansion project. This made the museum twice as big! It now has a total of 83,000 square feet (about 7,700 square meters). This expansion helped the museum offer more learning programs. These programs are for families and are offered in two languages. The expansion also added new classrooms and lab spaces. These are part of the museum's Institute for Family Learning.
The expansion also made the museum's library branch twice as big. This library is part of the Houston Public Library system. The new part of the building connects to the original building. It has seven more exhibit areas for kids to explore. The money for this big expansion came from a special fundraising effort. They raised over $35.5 million to make it happen.
Right across the street from the main museum is another building. It's called the E. Rudge Allen Jr. Family Education Annex. This building was also finished in 2009. It was designed by Jackson & Ryan Architects.
Who Visits the Museum?
The Children's Museum Houston welcomes more than 1 million people every year. That's a lot of kids and families! The museum also has special programs that go out into the community. These programs reach an extra 250,000 people each year. In 2009, the museum's director, Tammie Kahn, shared some interesting facts. She said that groups helping families and schools get tickets for over 30% of the museum's visitors. This means many kids get to visit who might not otherwise.
Awesome Awards and Recognition
The Children's Museum Houston has won many cool awards!
- In 2005, MSN.com said CMH was the best children's museum.
- Child Magazine ranked it second in 2001. They looked at how helpful the staff were. They also checked how many different exhibits there were.
- Parents magazine called it "America's No. 1 Children's Museum."
- Nickelodeon Parent's Picks named it the "Best Museum in Houston" in both 2009 and 2010.
- KPRC-TV (Click2Houston) also said it was the "Best Museum" in 2010.
- Forbes magazine listed it as a top children's museum.
Other awards include:
- TripSaavy's 2018 Editor's Choice Award for "Best Family Attraction and Experience."
- AAA 2018 Editor's "Best Of Things To Do."
- It was listed among the "Best Children's Museums in the U.S." by Forbes, LA Times, and USA Today.
- TripAdvisor gave it a Certificate of Excellence "Hall of Fame" award.
- Kids Out and About named it one of the "Top 20 Places to Take Kids in Houston."
- The Culture Trip called it a "Top Museum and Landmark to Visit in Houston."
- Travel Channel said it was one of "Houston's Must-See Museums."
- In 2024, the museum received the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. This is a very important award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de Niños de Houston para niños
