Also housed on the
Seattle Center cam-
pus is the Pacific
Science Center.
Also erected in 1962
to coincide with the
World's Fair the was
designed by Minoru
Yamasaki.
Yamasaki was later the archi-
tect of the World Trade Center in New York
City. The walls of each building, composed
of many pre-cast concrete slabs, form an
arch motif used by Yamasaki in a number of
other buildings he has designed. The Pacific
Science Center is an independent, non-
profit science museum which sits on 7.1
acres of land located on the south side
of the Seattle Center. The museum is
composed of eight buildings, includ-
ing two IMAX theaters, one of the
world's largest Laser Dome theaters,
and planetarium along with hundreds
of hand-on exhibits. The most popu-
lar being the 4,000 square foot tropi-
cal butterfly house. This immersive
exhibit, designed as a replica of the
rain forest, provides a glimpse into a
part of the world very unlike Seattle
— a warm, sunny place where colorful but-
terflies are active 365 days a year. More than
500 tropical butterflies are imported weekly
from South and Ventral America, Africa, and
Asia. Supplemental heat, light, and humidity
are provided to sustain a tropical ecosystem
among the cool, grey, drizzly days of the Pa-
cific Northwest.
Sea ttle Monorai l Pacifi c Sci ence
Center
Built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair,
the Seattle Monorail has become an
important fixture in Seattle for locals,
who use the trains during major festivals
and sporting events. Open daily, the
Seattle Monorail travels directly between
Westlake Center Mall (5th Avenue and
Pine Street) and Seattle Center (adjacent
to the Space Needle and EMP Museum).
There is only one stop so you won't get
lost! On certain days, the monorail may
be open late due to events at Seattle
Center. The train departs approximately
every 10 minutes and takes about 2
minutes to travel from one platform to
another. Check web-site for schedule.
