ENID, OK - June 6, 2017 - After nearly 7 years of planning, it's done. New Education Annex, New Exhibits, a NEW Leonardo's! After 7 years of planning, fundraising, and constructing the NEW Leonardo's Children's Museum, the $6.2 million renovation will come to an end on June 10th.
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The Education Annex is housed in the old Gaslight Theatre location, also once home to World Harvest Church. The entire space has been renovated and is now filled with natural sunlight and space for multiple classes as well as a kitchen. The two buildings are now connected with a doorway in the middle.
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The new exhibits on the second floor are bright, interesting and very educational. The kids will be thrilled by the Vance area that includes a fun cartoon simulator jet and a fun paper airplane toss. All of the exhibits incorporate parts of Enid and local companies throughout. Special emphasis is placed on energy and agriculture.
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The grocery store will also be a hit! Kids get to withdraw money from an ATM, they get to shop and then they'll check themselves out. Other exhibits include the art and painting space, the financial center, the dental and ear office and the wind energy display.
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Go test the innovative new exhibits that will transform Leonardo's into the finest hands-on arts & science children's museum in Northwest Oklahoma! They invite all children & families to come and witness this historic new beginning on June 10th at 10:00am for a brief ceremony then stay to PLAY at the NEW Leonardo's!
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The Launch Celebration takes place from 10:00am to 12:00pm. Admission to Leonardo's and Adventure Quest is $9 per person, 2 years and older. Members are free. Leonardo's is located at 200 E. Maple.
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The multi-million capital campaign began in 2010 and construction on the 110-year old warehouse began in August of 2015. Phase 1 of the renovation included major updating on the HVAC systems, fire suppression systems, lighting, along with numerous other building updates. However, Phase 1 proved to children and families that Leonardo’s was soon becoming a 21st-century children’s museum with its new hands-on exhibits. The main exhibit in Phase 1 included Power Tower, a two-story climbing exhibit educating children on Oklahoma’s role in powering the nation. Power Tower allows children to concretely grasp how Oklahoma Oil, Gas, and Water are found, extracted, transported, and refined through interactive displays on the exhibit. Other exhibits included with Phase 1 construction were the Critter Clubhouse, INTEGRIS Hospital clinic, an Infant/Toddler Sensory Area, and the Oklahoma Museum Network Area, currently featuring the “Red Dirt Dinos.”
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Phase 2 construction began in late August of 2016, on the building directly east of Leonardo’s Children’s Museum (formally World Harvest Church and Gaslight Theater). This building will serve as the Education Annex for Leonardo’s Children’s Museum. This space will be the home to all the museum’s Art & Science classes as well as the location for the Leonardo’s Summer Camp. The Education Annex recently opened its doors and has already seen hundreds of children come through for field trips and workshops. In March of 2017 the second floor of Leonardo’s Children’s Museum was cleared out in preparation for the final installation of the museum exhibits. Those exhibits are: an agriculture exhibit, a dentist office, a hearing center, Jumbo’s grocery store, Edward Jones Financial Center, Vance Air Force Base, a park, an Oklahoma wind power exhibit, and an art studio.
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Get a sneak peek below...
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Leonardo's Launch Celebration
