A planned $5 million planetarium in the heart of Spartanburg’s downtown is moving closer to reality with an anticipated groundbreaking this summer, according to Todd Stephens, Spartanburg County librarian.
The 5,000-square-foot project will be built on the Headquarters Library campus of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries at the corner of Broad and South Church streets in conjunction with the library’s celebration of its 25th year at that location.
Dedicated to lifelong learning, the facility will feature a 50-foot domed planetarium theater with 125-140 seats and include two classrooms and a catering kitchen. The focal point of the lobby will be a Foucalt pendulum, patterned after an experiment nearly 200 years ago by French physicist Leon Foucalt in which he used a pendulum to demonstrate the Earth’s rotation.
“It’s a cool enhancement,” Stephens said.
He said the maker space in the existing headquarters building — known as Spark Space — will be moved to the planetarium. Spark Space is a sort of do-it-yourself laboratory where a variety of tools are available for people to tinker, create, experiment and build.
Among the programming envisioned for the project are explorations of astronomical phenomena like supernovas, visual tours of internal systems like the human heart and interactive chats with astronauts on the International Space Station.
Stephens said the planetarium’s ability to provide immersive experiences will provide a wealth of learning opportunities for patrons.
“Programs will explore our outer universe but also include opportunities to study the Great Barrier Reef, the plains of Africa or our own story in Spartanburg,” he said.
Through the planetarium, the library aims to build learning partnerships with area schools, universities, businesses, and leading scientific organizations like NASA and the National Science Foundation.
Stephens said the project is currently maneuvering through the city’s Design Review Board process of determining exterior finishes. Depending on how long this process takes, Stephens said the aim is to break ground this summer.
For more information, visit spartanburglibraries.org.
