Planetarium gone, bad idea, it could and should have worked

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 1:43 am

Posted on Sun, Jan. 04, 2004

Planetarium not bright spot for Union Station
By ROBERT TRUSSELL
The Kansas City Star

It was the first of its kind built in the United States.

It was equipped with a state-of-the-art video projection system.

And now, only four years after opening, the planetarium at Union Station is closed for good.

Local astronomy buffs think that's a shame and hope to save the planetarium or establish one elsewhere.

But Union Station officials say that sparse attendance and the expense of maintaining and operating the 155-seat domed theater led them to shut it in mid-September. Union Station plans to convert the planetarium into a "welcome center" and box office.

The decision is connected to a $370 million redevelopment plan that includes converting the old main post office on Pershing Road into offices for the Internal Revenue Service; building a parking garage for Union Station; and transforming the station's current ticket counter into a postal facility.

"Believe me, I fully appreciate people's concern about the fact that we built this thing and then all of a sudden, three or four years later, we decide it's not going to work," said Turner White, Union Station's chief executive officer.

White said neither astronomy shows nor any other type of presentation at the City Dome ever caught on.

"In large part I think there is not maybe the appetite among a broad-scale group of people for that kind of thing," White said. "Now, the minute I say that, this is going to bring people out of the woodwork."

Indeed, members of the Astronomical Society of Kansas City argue that there is no shortage of interest in real astronomy shows. The society claims a membership of about 450 and operates the Powell Observatory in Louisburg, Kan., where an estimated 2,000 people turned out for a weekend in August dedicated to observing Mars -- evidence, they say, of a general interest in astronomy that Union Station never tapped.

Astronomy buffs said most of the programming at City Dome seemed to be less scientific than entertaining and was aimed at children.

"It was a beautiful theater, state-of-the-art equipment, and the only thing any of us ever saw there was a rinky-dink cartoon kind of thing," said Jackie Beucher, a member of the astronomical society and an officer with the national Astronomical League.

"The bottom line is that Kansas City is very strong in astronomy. There's a lot of interest in science in this area. They are making a big mistake closing that planetarium. If they put on some decent shows and operated it like it should be, they'd be surprised at the results."

Local astronomer Bob Riddle, who helped design a multimedia exhibit on the Hubble Telescope at the City Dome in 2002, said planetariums are good community investments, even in cities smaller than Kansas City. The only public planetarium in Kansas City is a 50-seat domed theater at the Kansas City Museum that dates from the 1950s. It offers shows each Friday and Saturday.

"For a city like Kansas City to not have that as part of its science center is pretty unusual," Riddle said. "I used to live in Peoria, Ill., and even a city that size has a planetarium."

Attorney Timothy Kristl, a member of the local society, wrote in a letter to White that the club wanted to work with Union Station to make sure that the theater "is not destroyed as an asset to our Kansas City residents."

Kristl cited the popularity of events at the Powell Observatory, adding, "We feel that this same educational dedication could be extended to the planetarium, although it would probably entail the construction of a building of sufficient size to house it in some other location."

White said he was willing to work with the society to establish a planetarium elsewhere using some of the City Dome equipment, but how much such a project would cost and where the money would come from were yet to be determined.

City Dome was initially an integral part of Union Station's "theater district," which includes the large-format Extreme Screen movie theater and a 200-seat live theater. But the planetarium was by far the weakest performer. Before the City Dome was closed in September, attendance for the year came to 4,160, compared to almost 30,000 so far at the live theater and a projected 2003 attendance of 135,000 at the movie theater.

City Dome also attracted far lower attendance than other planetariums in the region. The James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center registered 141,993 visitors in 2002. The Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has averaged 21,600 visitors a month since it opened in June.

The Union Station planetarium was built by Spitz Inc., a Pennsylvania firm and one of the leading builders of planetariums in the world. It was the first "Electric Sky" theater built in the United States, according to Scott Huggins, Spitz's director of marketing.

What set the "Electric Sky" design apart from older planetariums, Huggins said, was that in addition to a starball -- an illuminated mechanical sphere in the center of the auditorium that projects patterns of stars onto the domed screen -- the theater had a sophisticated projection system that allowed multiple video images to be integrated into one large image on at least a third of the dome.

Local astronomy enthusiasts said that for a planetarium to close within four years of its grand opening is virtually unheard of. Huggins said that all five Electric Sky theaters built in the United States since 1999 continue to operate.

White said that although the planetarium may have been state-of-the-art when it was built in 1999, its electronic equipment has been surpassed by digital projection systems. The starball purchased from Spitz was an older model that had been reconditioned, White added.

"I think that the technology that was chosen here may not have been as rigorously challenged for its longevity," White said. "Today we face maintenance needs on that starball that make it almost an artifact."

Denver's planetarium has no starball and illustrates how far projection systems have advanced since 1999. High-resolution digital projectors connected to a supercomputer project such things as a tour of the solar system using actual photographs of the planets. The images cover the entire dome.

But Mike Bakich, who helped plan City Dome as the former planetarium director for the Kansas City Museum, said programming -- not electronic sophistication -- was the issue.

"I feel that the planetarium with its existing equipment could have run in the black," said Bakich, who is now an editor with Astronomy Magazine. "If what you want to do is present graphic presentations of special effects, then digital may be for you. But planetariums were thriving 30 or 40 years ago before digital was even a dream."

White said it still made more sense to convert the domed theater into a new station entrance. The entrance and box-office area would retain the dome, where information telling visitors about things to do in Union Station would be projected. Visitors, White said, will be able to go directly from the parking area to the ticketing counter.

Writing in response to Kristl's letter, White said that it was time to discard some of the 1999 assumptions underlying attractions at Union Station.

"All of the activities attempted when Science City and Union Station were conceived...are not going to be successful," White wrote. "The need for us to face this reality and move ahead with something that is useful and works is the approach we have taken."

Good2Great · Post by **Good2Great** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 11:22 am

I've been to Union Station many times and had no idea this thing was even there..................much like most of KC has no idea that 18th & Vine is more than just a Designer Imposter Perfume.

TheDude · Post by **TheDude** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 5:56 pm

never new it existed--think they will have a garage sale? how cool would it be to have a starball in your basement.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 6:11 pm

GRID wrote:Astronomy buffs said most of the programming at City Dome seemed to be less scientific than entertaining and was aimed at children.

Jus' like the rest of Science City!

Although I'm not an astonomy buff, I'm disappointed to see it go. I attended the one in Chicago once and really enjoyed it. I tryed to go to the one in Kansas City at Union Station, but they said they were only open for scheduled groups and field trips. Goes to show that KC is truely the home of dumb ignorant hicks.

tat2kc · Post by **tat2kc** » Mon Jan 05, 2004 7:06 pm

The city leaders constantly come up with visionary, ground breaking ideas. Then completely fall over themselves in the execution, if it even gets that far.

Post by **bahua** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 1:04 pm

Wow, I had no idea.

I would have liked to take a trip to the plane-arim.

Post by **dangerboy** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 4:00 pm

If you think about it, the closure of the planetarium isn't a big surprise. The entire Science City project has been a mess of bad planning, bad budgeting, bad attendence estimates, and bad execution.

The people running Union Station have done a terrible disservice to the entire metro area by squandering the massive amount of goodwill that got the first bistate tax passed. The disappointments around Science City are going to make it harder to pass another bistate tax.

FangKC · Post by **FangKC** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 8:51 pm

GRID wrote:Union Station plans to convert the planetarium into a "welcome center" and box office.

This will not generate any revenue for Science City either. It seems to me that before they gut the planetarium, they might try taking up the offer of having the astronomy group develop the programs, quit gearing it towards just children, and not limit it to groups or by appointment only.

GRID wrote:Before the City Dome was closed in September, attendance for the year came to 4,160,...City Dome also attracted far lower attendance than other planetariums in the region. The James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the St. Louis Science Center registered 141,993 visitors in 2002. The Gates Planetarium at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has averaged 21,600 visitors a month since it opened in June.

Obviously there is something terribly wrong in the programming and promotion of this facility. I mean look at the huge variation in attendance when compared to St. Louis and Denver. What are they showing that KC isn't? Porn films? It seems to me that before something (that cost a lot to construct) is discarded completely, an effort should be made to program it correctly. Bring in consultants from other planetariums to review how the KC facility is run, or take up the Astrological Society's offer to program it for a year or two. Perhaps they can figure out what's wrong and make it successful.

I agree that a lot of people are unaware it exists. There isn't much marketing done in that respect. It is a separate attraction from Science City. Even if people know it's there, they might think you have to pay the admission to Science City to visit the planetarium--instead of seeing it as a separate attraction. One sees very little about it in local Kansas City advertising, and one assumes that the same is probably true for advertising done outside of KC.

While looking through the Kansas City Visitor's Guide magazine that's distributed in Union Station, I didn't see one advertisement, or any direct mention of the planetarium. In the section listing attractions, the one for Union Station reads "Historic train station has been magnificantly restored and features shops, theaters, restaurants, and Science City, an interactive science and entertainment experience." No mention of the planetarium at all.

In the section called "A Landmark City," Union Station is described:
"After siting dormant for almost a decade, US underwent an exciting $253 million building and renovation project in 1997 and reopened in 1999. The Beaux-Arts design features a grand lobby with a 94.5-foot ceiling and two 4,000 lb. candeliers. Union Station, located at Main and Pershing, is second in size only to NY's Grand Central Station." Again, no mention of the planetarium.

In the section for kids, it reads: "A special adventure land in KC is Science City. Housed in Union Station, Science City is full of fun and discovery. This summer kids can be actor, director, and producer at 'Behind the Screen,' through May 12." Again, no mention of the planetarium--even in the kids section.

If this is the case, how can one expect to know about a planetarium--must less make it successful. Hell, I'd think that if people with kids staying at the Hyatt and Westin hotels knew it existed, they'd take their kids there in the evenings to give them something to do. I don't even think one can walk through Union Station and see any signs advertising the planetarium, the program, or where it's at. Wouldn't a sign that read "Hey, by the way, there is a planetarium downstairs" help a bit? Do the hotels down there even have material in hotel rooms telling people about it? I think before we discuss discarding the facility, those things should be have been in place for awhile.

GRID wrote:White said it still made more sense to convert the domed theater into a new station entrance. The entrance and box-office area would retain the dome, where information telling visitors about things to do in Union Station would be projected. Visitors, White said, will be able to go directly from the parking area to the ticketing counter.

Yes, but by doing this, there will be one less thing to do at Union Station. Again, another attempt to pander to lazy people who apparently are unwilling to walk from the parking lot to the ticket booth. "Oh my God, it's too far to walk. Let's turn around and go home."

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Tue Jan 06, 2004 11:41 pm

Once again, they failed to market it and KC is still pretty much the largest city in the nation without a good science center.

I have been to planetariums in StL and Chicago. They are cool. I don't understand.

Of course my family was at union station's "theater district" the night it opened to see the IMAX and planetarium. They both rocked and there was hardly anyone there.

If a pair of theaters like that opened in any and I mean any other city, there would be people in droves wanting to check it out.

All goes back to lazy suburban KC doesn't do anything but watch sports on tv and go to casinos. I hope it changes someday.

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Wed Jan 07, 2004 11:47 am

FangKC wrote:Yes, but by doing this, there will be one less thing to do at Union Station. Again, another attempt to pander to lazy people who apparently are unwilling to walk from the parking lot to the ticket booth. "Oh my God, it's too far to walk. Let's turn around and go home."

Fang, you need to write Science City! You spend so much time writing great ideas and awesome points on this forum, I jus' hope you take the same amount of time to write those people with push, power and pockets full of money who can really make a difference.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:18 pm

From "As I See It" KC Star

This guy is right on. The closing of the planetarium really bugs me. KC is a better city than this...

Posted on Thu, Jan. 08, 2004

Don't close planetarium, promote it
By Rick Henderson
Special to The Star

I admit it takes work and creativity to properly use a planetarium, but other places can make it work. So should we.

So Turner White, CEO of Union Station, has announced that the â€œspaceâ€

QueSi2Opie · Post by **QueSi2Opie** » Thu Jan 08, 2004 2:31 pm

White and the rest of these idiots that run Science City are stupid, lazy and stubborn, they will cause Science City to completely fail. These morons didn't give Kansas City any credit when creating this "museum"...they figured we all had the mentality of a bunch of 2-year-olds and gave us childish exhibits and called it "science". They never promoted the only real "science" at Science Shitty.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 1:46 am

This still pisses me off.

There was one of those StL tourism adds in the KC Star recently and it showed listed thier planentarium as one of the top attractions in the city.

We finnally got one and it's already gone.

JerseyGuy · Post by **JerseyGuy** » Sun Mar 28, 2004 9:24 am

QueSi2Opie wrote:
GRID wrote:Astronomy buffs said most of the programming at City Dome seemed to be less scientific than entertaining and was aimed at children.
Jus' like the rest of Science City!

Although I'm not an astonomy buff, I'm disappointed to see it go. I attended the one in Chicago once and really enjoyed it. I tryed to go to the one in Kansas City at Union Station, but they said they were only open for scheduled groups and field trips. Goes to show that KC is truely the home of dumb ignorant hicks.

That's great to learn, since I just moved out here.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Wed May 26, 2004 10:21 pm

More Turner White bashing...

US fired the guy who designed the City Dome before it opened and replaced him with part-time staffers. They didn't know how to program the venue and the marketing department completely dropped the ball on promotions...and the rest is history. Bakich, now an editor at Astronomy mag and the original designer, proposed to take over the failed planetarium, but US management lost his proposal, then invited him to KC for an interview, then eventually did absolutely nothing, but propose City Dome be turned into an entrance to Science City. Bakich had the expertise to run it, but yet again US leadership under Turner White was completely clueless on how to manage the station's attractions.

It is disheartening to see more and more people come out of the woodwork to testify how absolutely worthless the management and administration was/is at Union Station. For God's sake...it was a publicly funded project.
http://www.pitch.com/issues/2004-05-27/strip.html

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Thu May 27, 2004 9:33 am

Why did you bring this thread back. Man, it just irks me to no end that they closed that planetarium.

trailerkid · Post by **trailerkid** » Thu May 27, 2004 12:39 pm

GRID wrote:Why did you bring this thread back. Man, it just irks me to no end that they closed that planetarium.

Well, the thread is back because now some of the "take for granted" decisions made by Union Station are being highly questioned. Just as you said...the planetarium could've and should've worked. People who know about Astronomy are the ones telling us this-- the project was just completely mismanaged and executed poorly.

I don't see reason to get down in the dumps...rehashing the issue might sway people in favor of bringing it back. With the current state of Union Station-- anything is a possibility.

Post by **staubio** » Thu May 27, 2004 12:50 pm

trailerkid wrote:
GRID wrote:Why did you bring this thread back. Man, it just irks me to no end that they closed that planetarium.
Well, the thread is back because now some of the "take for granted" decisions made by Union Station are being highly questioned. Just as you said...the planetarium could've and should've worked. People who know about Astronomy are the ones telling us this-- the project was just completely mismanaged and executed poorly.

I don't see reason to get down in the dumps...rehashing the issue might sway people in favor of bringing it back. With the current state of Union Station-- anything is a possibility.

I know these things happen -- stuff is shuttered and their demise is planned, only to have some knight in shining armor step in to save it. I know the structure is still around last time I was at US, so I suppose this means there is still a chance that the Planetarium could be reopened when ducks are in a row. Personally, I thought it had the potential to be the most interesting attraction at US.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Sat May 29, 2004 12:04 pm

This STILL pisses me off. Complete stupidity.

GRID · Post by **GRID** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 1:04 pm

As we close our planetarium and once again become the largest city without a modern planetarium (and science museum) others continue to open and thrive. Check NYC's new Rose Planetarium.

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