Museum of Science and Industry

The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood between Lake Michigan and The University of Chicago. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Initially endowed by Julius Rosenwald, the Sears, Roebuck and Company president and philanthropist, it was supported by the Commercial Club of Chicago and opened in 1933 during the Century of Progress Exposition.Among the museum's exhibits are a full-size replica coal mine, captured during World War II, a 3500sqft model railroad, the first diesel-powered streamlined stainless-steel passenger train, and the Apollo 8 spacecraft that carried the first humans to orbit the Moon.Based on 2009 attendance, the Museum of Science and Industry was the second-largest cultural attraction in Chicago. David R. Mosena has been president and CEO of the museum since 1998.HistoryThe Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition was designed by Charles B. Atwood for D. H. Burnham & Co. Unlike the other "White City" buildings, it was constructed with a brick substructure under its plaster facade. After the World's Fair, it initially housed the Columbian Museum, which evolved into the Field Museum of Natural History. When the Field Museum moved to a new building near downtown Chicago in 1920, the former site was left vacant.