Powerhouse Science Center Construction

Construction is underway at the Powerhouse Science Center, a $50 million project is expected to open early 2021 opening along the banks of the Sacramento River.

Powerhouse Science Center at 400 Jibboom St. Sacramento, CA 95811

Powerhouse Science Center Construction

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Construction is underway at the Powerhouse Science Center, a $50 million project is expected to open early 2021 opening along the banks of the Sacramento River.

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Rendering of Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Powerhouse Science Center Construction

 Construction is underway at the Powerhouse Science Center, a $50 million project is expected to open early 2021 opening along the banks of the Sacramento River.

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

Powerhouse Science Center construction along the Sacramento River

The new Powerhouse Science Center, an adaptive reuse of the historic 1912-era PG&E Power Station, will be the region’s premiere science center and serve as a hub for science education and exploration. The historic power station will undergo stabilization and complete rehabilitation with construction of a new floor level inside and a new intermediate floor for exhibit space. A new two-story, 22,000SF addition will be built on the east side of the existing building containing an entry lobby,  classrooms, offices, a café and a 110-seat planetarium.

Powerhouse Science Center Construction

Construction on the new Powerhouse Science Center continues on the Sacramento River. Steel beams have been placed to help hold walls of the building while it undergos stabilization and complete rehabilitation with construction of a new floor level inside and a new intermediate floor for exhibit space. A new two-story, 22,000SF addition will be built on the east side of the existing building containing an entry lobby,  classrooms, offices, a café and a 110-seat planetarium. The price tag for the new Powerhouse Science Center is about $50 million, a mix of public and private dollars.

The historic PG&E power station on Jibboom Street will become the
new Powerhouse Science Center

The historic PG&E power station on Jibboom Street will become the
new Powerhouse Science Center

Powerhouse Science Center

The historic PG&E power station on Jibboom Street will become the
new Powerhouse Science Center

Work on the $50 million Powerhouse Science Center project looks to be under way. Since the beginning in 2007, planning and financing have been a struggle. The center is scheduled to open in 2020 and replace the old one on Auburn Blvd. The project will include 120-seat planetarium with a hemispheric dome rising above the building’s mass in the 72,000 square-foot facility.

The historic PG&E power station on Jibboom Street will become the
new Powerhouse Science Center

Rendering of new Power House Science Center

 

Powerhouse Awarded $7 Million

The Powerhouse Science Center has been awarded a $7 million grant to pay for the first of three buildings in its planned $50 million science museum on the banks of the Sacramento River. The money comes from Prop. 84, a 2006 bond measure that provided $5 billion for water-quality projects, including public access to natural resources. The center is expected to open in 2013.

Grant to Aid in Clean-Up at Former PG&E Power Station

The City of Sacramento was awarded a $200,000 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean-Up Grant to aid in environmental remediation and clean-up efforts at the former PG&E power station on Jibboom Street. The power station, built in 1912, has been shuttered since the early 1960s. The EPA Brownfield grant will be used to remove contaminated soil from the interior of the building in preparation for the development of the $40 million riverfront Powerhouse Science Center – a science, space and technology center that is planned for the vacant building.

The City will use its Brownfield Clean-up Grant to perform remediation activities at the former PG&E power station. This will include the excavation and disposal of approximately 1,960 cubic yards of contaminated soil at an off-site hazardous waste facility. Following the remediation, soil samples will be collected to verify that adequate soil has been removed. The environmental clean up efforts are being overseen by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control.

Ultimately, the future science center will link other riverfront amenities by transforming the site from unused land to a regional amenity that will also include a restaurant and educational center, a planetarium, and an inviting open space park area.

Press Release