Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a science and technology museum. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls.

Beginning in 1903, odd artifacts were displayed in hallways and alcoves in Portland City Hall arranged by Colonel L. L. Hawkins. When the collection was evicted in 1936, about 12,000 artifacts were stored throughout the city.

On November 5, 1944, the Oregon Museum Foundation was founded with the mission of establishing an Oregon Museum of History, Science, and Industry. It displayed its first collection of natural history objects at the Portland Hotel. By 1955, OMSI's annual attendance had grown to 25,000.

The need for expansion led to volunteers building a new site at Washington Park, completing the original goal of a hands-on museum.

By the mid-1980s, 600,000 people per year were visiting the building, which was designed for only 100,000. Expansion at the Washington Park site was deemed infeasible, and in 1986 it was announced that the museum would move to a new location on the east bank of the Willamette River. OMSI opened at the new site, which continues to be the current location. OMSI has five different specialized exhibit halls, a planetarium, and a submarine exhibit.

Location

Portland, Oregon
USA

Getting There

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is located at 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214. It is accessible by public transportation using the MAX Light Rail system, which has a station located directly outside of the museum. The MAX Orange Line runs from Portland City Center to the SE Park Ave Station, which is a 5-minute walk from the museum. Additionally, several bus lines stop within walking distance of the museum, including lines 6, 9, 17, and 70. There is also a streetcar stop nearby, which is served by the A and B loops of the Portland Streetcar system.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Oregon that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.