Discovery Children's Museum facts for kids
DISCOVERY Children's Museum & The Smith Center for the Performing Arts
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Type | Children's museum |
| Public transit access | Yes |
DISCOVERY Children's Museum is a nonprofit children's museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Formerly known as Lied Discovery Children's museum, this 58,000-square-foot (5,400 m2), three-story space is now located adjacent to The Smith Center in Downtown Las Vegas. The Museum sees roughly 250,000 visitors each year.
History
The DISCOVERY Children's Museum was founded by Robin Greenspun and Mark Tratos in 1984. The pair arranged a partnership between the Junior League of Las Vegas and the Allied Arts Council to fund a much-needed nonprofit educational institution in the Las Vegas Valley. In 1985, a bond issued to authorize the building of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library and Lied Discovery Children's Museum, which opened its doors on September 9, 1990.
Relocation
In 2010 the museum announced plans to construct and occupy a new home and larger home in Symphony Park. The total for the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center project was $50 million. In August 2010, the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation announced a gift to The Smith Center to pay for the completion of its block in Symphony Park. $43 million of that gift was used to build the Donald W. Reynolds Discovery Center. The museum raised the remaining $7 million needed to complete the project. The new museum opened on March 9, 2013.
