The master plan for the proposed Da Vinci Science City have been unveiled. The $150 million project would bring a 130,000-square-foot museum and science center to the city of Easton, PA.
Plans for the Science City are expansive. There will be interactive science exhibits, live aquatic animal exhibit as well as a creativity studio and an immersion theater. The city will also contain a destination restaurant and event center.
The Science City will also boast the Da Vinci Experience, an interactive and multimedia program about Leonardo da Vinci. It is designed to spark the curiosity of visitors and encourage to find their own “inner Da Vinci”.
EHDD were selected to lead the master-planning process, while Gyroscope will provide support in exhibit design and development.
The project has $52.5 million secured in funding. The $130 million cost of the project does not include site acquisition, development and “soft costs” so the total is likely to be more.
A ticket price of $20 or $25 has been suggested, which could be reduced to $16 for big groups. The Da Vinci board and the city also have an understanding that the museum would be free for residents on certain days.
Attendance projections suggest that the museum could attract up to 600,000 visitors annually, not included inflated figures in the first year. The project would still be viable with 400,000 visitors per year.
It is expected to attract more visitors than the nearby Crayola Experience, which draws 425,000 people annually, because of the science center’s greater appeal to adults.
541 jobs would be created at Science City, as well as 1,573 in two years of construction.
If the project goes forward, construction would start either in 2019 or 2020 and would take two years.
Da Vinci Science City master plan
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