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Home / Museum Info / Visit / History & Mission
About the Houston Museum of Natural Science
Founded in 1909, the purpose of the Houston Museum of Natural Science has always been to "enhance in individuals the knowledge and delight in natural science and related subjects..." To this very day, this purpose is carried out in every project, program and exhibition associated with the museum.
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The Houston Museum of Natural Science
As one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States, and one of the most attended venues in Houston, the Museum is in the distinguished company of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City.
The Museum house the Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center and over a dozen permanent exhibit areas that examine astronomy, space science, Native Americans, paleontology, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals, seashells, Texas wildlife and more. In addition, the museum frequently presents traveling exhibitions on a variety of topics. The Museum also maintains two satellite facilities: The George Observatory in Fort Bend County, which houses one of the largest telescopes in the country that is available for public viewing; and The Woodlands Xploration Station, which has exhibits on dinosaurs; mineralogy; exotic, live insects and more.
The Museum is also a major science learning center with over a half million school children visiting annually, including every fourth grade and eighth grade class in the Houston Independent School District. Just one of many unique educational opportunities available to these students and others is the Challenger Learning Center, the first in a national network, which allows students to experience the teamwork necessary to complete a variety of space tasks. Modeled after NASA, the two-part center houses Mission Control on the Lower Level, which is linked via monitors, microphones and computers to a space simulator located in the Museum's penthouse. The Museum has a second Challenger Learning Center at its George Observatory, located 55 miles south of Houston in Brazos Bend State Park.
Mission of HMNS
The mission of the Houston Museum of Natural Science shall be to preserve and advance the general knowledge of natural science; to enhance in individuals the knowledge of and delight in natural science and related subjects; and to maintain and promote a museum of the first class.
History of HMNS
1909: The Houston Museum and Scientific Society, Inc. was organized "to establish and
maintain a free institution for the people, for education and science."
1914-1930: The core of the permanent collection was established and included the acquisition of the Westheimer-Attwater and the Milsaps collections. Museum holdings included minerals, shells, insects, butterflies, birds, and other animals in addition to important ethnographic and archaeological materials.
1929: Initially displayed in the City Auditorium and the Public Library, the collection came to rest in the Houston Zoo. That same year Valentine Gesner was hired as the collection's first curator and worked under Clarence L. Brock, Head of the Parks Department and the Museum's director. With the assistance of Mr. H. P. Attwater, the entire Westheimer-Attwater collection was catalogued in July of 1929.
1930 - 1934: Major John E. T. Milsaps presented his collection of minerals, shells, curios and other objects to the City of Houston. Other citizens began donating their curios, relics and souvenirs and by 1934 the collections were too crowded in their temporary quarters.
1943: At this time, the Museum housed more than 17,000 items and it was decided to start phasing out the history, numismatics, philately, and textiles departments and rearrange the collection, thus establishing a stronger bias toward the natural sciences. Mr. Gesner resigned his position as museum curator and the Museum Council transferred sole "possession, control, maintenance and operation" of the collection to the Board of Managers of a new corporation "The Museum of Natural History of Houston." Robert A. Vines was named the new museum curator and director.
1947: With funds donated by the River Oaks Garden Club, the Museum hired a teacher, initiating its first education program.
1948: By its second year, this program was providing natural science education for 12,000 children.
1956 – 1957: Mr. Vines resigned his position as museum director and was succeeded the next year by Dr. Thomas E. Pulley who guided the Museum's growth for the next twenty-five years.
1959: Under the leadership of Dr. Pulley, land was acquired at the North end of Hermann Park for a permanent facility to accommodate collection expansion and a growing audience. Shortly thereafter the name of the corporation was changed to its present title, the "Houston Museum of Natural Science."
1964: With a generous contribution from Burke Baker, the Museum was able to open the first phase of the present building, the Burke Baker Planetarium, along with a small portion of the Museum exhibit space.
1967: The need for additional exhibition and classroom space due to the growing Museum collections prompted a capital campaign to fund an adjoining structure, which was completed in 1969.
1979: The Museum sponsored its first international traveling show, "Peru’s Golden Treasures.” With the success of this exhibit, it became apparent that a larger gallery area for traveling exhibits was needed.
1980s: Another capital campaign provided funds for a 40,000 square foot wing and maintenance endowment. In the meantime, the influx of gifts to the collections continued and new Museum exhibits and programs were developed to make use of the vastly improved facilities and growing collection.
1982: With the help of a fundraising campaign initiated by Mr. Herbert Frensley, the president of the Board of Trustees, the Museum was able to raise funds for a new wing. During the subsequent years, numerous shows of national and international importance have since been held in the Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Gallery.
1983: Dr. Pulley retired after nearly twenty-five years of service and assistant director Carl Aiken was appointed as the new director of the Museum.
1985: Mr. Aiken served the Museum for three years until his resignation in February of 1985. Laura Higley, a Museum Trustee, took over as acting director while the Museum conducted a formal search for a new director.
1985: The Museum acquired the Ann and Perkins Sams Collection of Gems and Minerals, which was considered one of the top three such collections in the world with over 1,400 world-class specimens.
1986: The Museum’s next director, Truett Latimer, was hired to improve and expand the Museum’s collections, exhibits, facilities and education programs.
1986: The Sams Collection first went on public display in the newly completed Cullen Gallery of Earth Science.
1987: Three additional Halls were added. The Strake Hall of Malacology was opened, showcasing 2,500 seashells. In June, Blueprints for the Future, an innovative look at space architecture, opened in the Arnold Hall of Space and Science. Discovery Place, an interactive exhibit of hands-on science experiments, opened in the Fondren Hall.
1988: As a result of tremendous public and private response to the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, the Museum designed and opened the first Challenger Learning Center. This sophisticated simulator, designed to educate students about space and space flight, has been replicated in twelve sites throughout the United States and Canada.
1989: An extensive capital campaign provided funds to add the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, the Cullen Grand Entry Hall and the George Observatory in addition to renovations in the Burke Baker Planetarium and landscaping the Museum grounds.
1990: Trustees of the Houston Museum of Natural Science evaluated the status of the institution to determine an action plan for the next five years. To achieve the institution’s mission of providing quality natural science education for the Houston community, state-of-the-art facilities were needed. In response to increased attendance by over 2 million visitors per year, additional space, as well as renovations to current exhibits, were required to make the Houston Museum of Natural Science a premier institution.
1991: The McDannald Hall of the American Indian and the Isaac Arnold hall of Space Science were renovated to better display their collections.
1991: The Houston Museum of Natural Science began the “Face of the Future” campaign for the construction of a 90,000 square foot Exhibit Wing.
1993 - 1994: With the help of funds raised from the campaign, the Houston Museum of Natural Science completely renovated the Welch Chemistry Hall in November of 1993, the Paleontology Hall in May of 1994, and opened the Cockrell Butterfly Center and the Brown Hall of Entomology in July of 1994. The Museum was also able to expand and renovate the Sterling Hall of Research on the lower level and open new temporary exhibit halls on the second and third floors. And lastly, the Museum reopened the Wiess Energy Hall located on the first floor in October of 1994.
1995: The Museum continued to expand its gem and mineral collection with two extraordinary acquisitions from the Ed and Ann David Collection from New Jersey and the Bernus-Mane’ Collection from Spain.
1996: These acquisitions lead to a total renovation of the Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals that resulted in a permanent exhibit of magnificence and unquestionable excellence and quality. This exhibition is recognized as one of the best exhibit collections in the world.
1998: The Museum’s original venue, the Burke Baker Planetarium, was completely renovated to include new and improved technology: a seamless dome, tilted seats and a modified sound system.
1999: The Albert and Ethel Herzstein Hall of Special Exhibitions was opened in February. The Hall features temporary and traveling exhibits on loan from premier collections throughout the world.
2001: After a 15-year term, Museum President, Mr. Latimer retired. In October of 2001, Rebecca A. McDonald was named to lead the Museum.
2004: Mrs. McDonald returned to the commercial energy sector and Joel A. Bartsch was selected to become the seventh leader of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Today, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, a centerpiece of the Houston Museum District and the region's major science museum, welcomes more than 2 million visitors each year, including 600,000 school children. With four floors of permanent exhibit halls comprising over one million objects and specimens, the Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center, Burke Baker Planetarium, George Observatory, and world-class touring exhibitions throughout the year, the Museum has something to delight every age group.
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