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Science Nord | |
Established | 19 June 1984 |
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Location | 100 Ramsey Lake Road Sudbury, Ontario P3E 5S9 |
Coordinates | 46°28′14″N 80°59′47″W / 46.4706°N 80.9963°W |
Type | Science centre |
Director | Ashley Larose, CEO |
Architect | |
Owner | Government of Ontario |
Website | www |
Science North is an interactive science museum in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.[1]
The science centre, which is Northern Ontario's most popular tourist attraction, consists of two snowflake-shaped buildings on the southwestern shore of Ramsey Lake, just south of the downtown core,[1] and a former ice hockey arena which includes the complex's entrance and an IMAX theatre.[2] The snowflake buildings are connected by a rock tunnel, which passes through a billion-year-old geologic fault.[1] This fault line was not known to be under the complex when the site was originally selected, and was discovered only during the construction of the building in the early 1980s. Where the walkway reaches the larger snowflake, the Vale Cavern auditorium is frequently used for temporary exhibits, press conferences, film screenings, and other gala events by Science North and the wider community.[3]
Inside the main building, a 20-metre fin whale skeleton, recovered from Anticosti Island, hangs from the ceiling.[4]
The complex also features a boat tour, the William Ramsey, which offers touring cruises of the scenic Ramsey Lake.[5] Formerly known as the Cortina due to its corporate sponsorship by the city's Cortina Pizza restaurant chain, it was renamed the William Ramsey in 2014 in memory of the surveyor for whom the lake was named.[5] The Jim Gordon Boardwalk also extends from the facility to the city's Bell Park along the western shore of the lake.[6]
Opened in 1984,[7] the facility was designed by architect Raymond Moriyama of Moriyama & Teshima Architects.[8] Local architecture firm Townend, Stefura, Baleshta and Nicholls also contributed to the project.[9] It had its official opening in October 1984, at a ceremony presided over by Queen Elizabeth II during her royal visit.[10]
An agency of the provincial government of Ontario, Science North is overseen by the provincial Ministry of Culture.