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The Adler Planetarium
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Acknowledgements
Officers and Trustees
Women's Board
Intriguing Facts about the Adler
History of the Adler Planetarium
About the Adler
The Adler Planetarium — America's First Planetarium — was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. The museum is home to three full-size theaters, including the all-digital projection Definiti® Space Theater, the Sky Theater which utilizes a Zeiss optical projector, and the Universe 3D Theater. It is also home to one of the world's most important antique instrument collections. The Adler is a recognized leader in science education, with a focus on inspiring young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in science.
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To contact us via e-mail please find the Adler Department that better matches your request. All addresses below should be followed by @adlerplanetarium.org.
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Adler Planetarium 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL
312-922-STAR
Acknowledgements
The Adler Planetarium thanks the State of Illinois Public Museum Capital Grants Program administered through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois State Museum for its continuing generous support of facility expansion and improvement projects.
The Adler also gratefully acknowledges the generous support it receives from the Chicago Park District on behalf of the citizens of Chicago.
Officers and Trustees
OFFICERS
Bryan C. Cressey
John W. Estey
Joseph T. Lower
Scott C. Swanson
Douglas A. Engel
Irene Siragusa Phelps
Paul H. Knappenberger Jr.
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman
Vice Chairman
Treasurer
Secretary
President
 
Executive Committee Members
Frank M. Clark
Lamar A. Johnson
Robert C. Knuepfer, Jr.
William J. Lutz
Nancy Ruscheinski
 
TRUSTEE CLASS OF 2010
Martin R. Castro
James J. Doyle
John W. Estey
Jeffrey T. Foland
Steven Y. Gold
Lamar A. Johnson
Robert C. Knuepfer, Jr.
James A. Lovell, Jr.
Joseph T. Lower
John P. Minogue
Nicholas J. Pritzker
Jeffrey S. Rothstein
Scott C. Swanson
Peter Q. Thompson
TRUSTEE CLASS OF 2011
Cynthia L. Ballew
David A. Carlquist
Linda I. Celesia
David A. Crown
Douglas A. Engel
Kathy H. Hannan
Bernard L. Hengesbaugh
Phyllis Lockett
Steven S. Louis
Sunday P. Perry
James C. Reddinger
Nancy Ruscheinski
Matthew F. Sauer
Donna N. Smith
Barbara L. Stewart
 
TRUSTEE CLASS OF 2012
Frank M. Clark
Vincent C. Cordero
Bryan C. Cressey
Jonathan D. Eder
Robert N. Gordon
William J. Gruber
William J. Lutz
Thomas A. Nardi
Irene S. Phelps
Donald J. Santoski
LIFE TRUSTEES
Jill W. Adler
Carolyn Bowman
James J. Brice
Joseph M. Chamberlain
Donald C. Clark Jr.
Earle M. Combs III
J. Douglas Donenfeld
Michel J. Feldman
David W. Fox
Howard S. Goss
C. Paul Johnson
Dirk Lohan
David Mintzer
Kenneth Nebenzahl
James J. O'Connor
George W. Reed Jr.
Janet D. Rowley
Harold Byron Smith
Peter O. Vandervoort
Marjorie K. Webster
Jay N. Whipple Jr.
Edward J. Williams
Emory Williams
 
EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEES
The Honorable Richard M. Daley
Gery J. Chico
 
Rouhy J. Shalabi
 
Morteza A. Rahimi
Penelope L. Peterson
John E. Carlstrom
Robert A. Fefferman
Caroline Becker Joss
Paul H. Knappenberger Jr.
Mayor, City of Chicago
President, Board of Commissioners,
   Chicago Park District
Member, Board of Commissioners,
    Chicago Park District
Northwestern University
Northwestern University
University of Chicago
University of Chicago
President, Adler Planetarium Women’s Board
President, Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum
Women's Board
The Women's Board of the Adler Planetarium seeks to inspire scientific curiosity and literacy among young people in our communities. Through the Annual Celestial Ball and the Women in Space Science Award Celebration, the Women's Board helps the Adler reach out to school children to inspire the next generation of explorers.
To learn more visit the Women's Board webpage.
Intriguing Facts about the Adler
• The planetarium is built on what once was an artificial island on Lake Michigan. Northerly Island, as it is called, was the first of what was to be a series of artificial islands stretching south. The permanent land link was constructed soon after the planetarium was built.
• Each of the twelve corners of the landmark 1930s building is decorated by a bronze plaque, which represents a sign of the zodiac. These plaques were created by sculptor Alfonso Ianelli.
• The historic landmark building was designed by architect Ernest Grunsfeld whose grandson John Grunsfeld, Chicago native and Adler Astro Science Workshop alumnus, is now a NASA astronaut. Grunsfeld returned to space in December 1999 on the Hubble Telescope servicing mission.
• The dedication plaque located in the Adler’s Rainbow Lobby depicts the gods and goddesses for which the planets are named. Pluto is missing because it was not discovered until February 18, 1930, after the plaque was created.
• In 1933, light from the star Arcturus was converted into electrical signals, sent to the Adler and used to turn on the lights at the World’s Fair on opening night.
• Originally, a series of twelve shallow pools representing each month of the year, donated by the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Foundation, led up to the entrance of the Adler. Flowerbeds later replaced the pools.
• The 1970s “Glass Box” museum entrance has been removed and the underground exhibit area has been transformed into offices for Adler staff. Exhibits that were once located underground have been relocated or incorporated in new museum exhibits.
• The Adler houses one of the world's finest collections of astronomical artifacts, including treasures such as the world's oldest known window sundial (dated 1529) and a telescope made by William Herschel. Some of the oldest artifacts in the collection date back to 12th century Persia.
History of the Adler Planetarium
1930: The First Planetarium in the Western Hemisphere
Since ancient times, humankind has looked to the heavens with awe and wonder. A sense of curiosity inspired a search for understanding of the patterns of motion and changes in the paths of the Moon, Sun, and planets. Throughout history many attempts were made to create models to illustrate the relationship between celestial bodies.
It was not until 1923, however, that Dr. Walther Bauersfeld, the scientific director of the firm of Carl Zeiss in Jena, Germany, designed an optical projection device that effectively created the illusion of a night sky. Using light produced by an intricate machine at the center of a hemispherical room, he could project images of celestial objects onto the inner surface of a dome. With this innovation the modern planetarium was born.
In 1928, Max Adler, a senior officer and early stockholder in Sears, Roebuck and Company, decided to invest part of his fortune in a public facility that would benefit future generations of Chicagoans. He learned of the mechanism that could dramatically replicate the night sky that was being demonstrated in Europe and was intrigued enough to personally investigate this instrument. Accompanied by his wife and architect Ernest Grunsfeld, he went to Germany and was so impressed that he donated the funds to construct the first modern planetarium in the Western Hemisphere.
The Adler Planetarium was opened to the public on May 12, 1930. In Mr. Adler's dedication address, he explained some of the reasons for his decision to build it: "Chicago has been striving to create, and in large measure has succeeded in creating, facilities for its citizens of today to live a life richer and more full of meaning than was available for the citizens of yesterday. Toward the creation of such opportunities I have desired to contribute. The popular conception of the Universe is too meager; the Planets and the stars are too far removed from general knowledge. In our reflections, we dwell too little upon the concept that the world and all human endeavor within it are governed by established order and too infrequently upon the truth that under the heavens everything is inter-related, even as each of us to the other."
In a further demonstration of foresight, Mr. Adler also acquired an impressive collection of historical artifacts in astronomy, navigation, time keeping and engineering. These instruments formed the basis of a collection which has come to be regarded as the finest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and one of the three most complete collections in the world.
Mr. Adler made an agreement with the South Park Commissioners (later the Chicago Park District) to maintain and operate the museum. Dr. Philip Fox, a well-known professor of astronomy at Northwestern University, was appointed the first director.
From its inception the new institution was a tremendous success. Visitors came in great numbers to see this dramatic new facility. During the Century of Progress Exposition in 1933-34, the museum was within the fairgrounds and was operated as one of the outstanding features of the fair. Under succeeding directors-Maude Bennot, Wagner Schlesinger, Albert Shatzel and Robert I. Johnson the museum continued to attract millions of visitors through the decades of the thirties, forties and fifties.
1950-1968: Years of Change
Max Adler died in 1952, but he lived to witness nearly a quarter century of planetarium success. Other members of his family continued to maintain an interest in the museum, especially his son Robert. Another influence was the "space race" starting with the 1957 Sputnik launch.
In the mid-1950s, Robert S. Adler and other friends of the Adler formed the Chicago Planetarium Society, an organization devoted to promoting an interest in the institution and in its education services. Mr. Adler served as the Society president until 1968.
The beginnings of the space race and dramatic new discoveries in astronomy in the late '50s and early '60s demanded that all planetariums review their programs and plans for the future. In 1967, with the encouragement of the Chicago Planetarium Society, Mayor Richard J. Daley appointed a committee chaired by Hale Nelson to review the status of the Adler Planetarium and to make recommendations for the future. Their report called for the creation of a Board of Trustees to share responsibility for the management of the institution with the commissioners of the Chicago Park District. It also recommended strengthening the professional staff and expanding and modernizing the entire education program. To accomplish these goals the 1930s building was refurbished which included the replacement of the original Zeiss planetarium projector with a new Mark VI Zeiss unit and the construction of a new building to fulfill the needs of generations to come.
1968-1991: Years of Expansion
Dr. Joseph M. Chamberlain, formerly Director of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium in New York City, accepted the invitation to come to Chicago in 1968 as director of the Adler Planetarium to help implement the recommendations of the Mayor's committee. A new $4 million underground facility was opened to the public on May 12, 1973, the Adler's forty-third birthday. In 1976, the Board of Trustees assumed full management responsibility, but continued to receive support from the Chicago Park District. In 1977, the Doane Observatory was opened.
In March of 1991, the museum unveiled the results of a $6.5 million renovation project. New additions included the Stairway to the Stars special-effects sky show escalator, a Planetarium Cafe, the History of Astronomy Research Center and a Sky Show Production Suite.
After 23 years of leadership during which he firmly established the Adler Planetarium as one of Chicago's major cultural institutions, Dr. Chamberlain retired in 1991. Dr. Paul Knappenberger, formerly director of the Science Museum of Virginia, was appointed to succeed Dr. Chamberlain as president.
1991-1999: Launching into the Millennium
In 1991, Dr. Knappenberger helped create a vision for the Adler at the turn of the millennium and initiated a Long-Range and Strategic Plan to transform the Adler. The goal was to become the world's leading public center for interpreting the exploration of the Universe.
Throughout the 1990s the Adler evolved as an institution, using audience research and evaluation techniques to produce eleven planetarium shows, expand educational programming and develop over a dozen permanent and temporary exhibits. This decade also welcomed the beginning of the Volunteer Program in 1993, the Adler Council and its Celestial Ball in 1994 and the launch of Adler's Web site in 1995.
In June 1996, the Adler made its own astronomical news when it publicly announced the building expansion project at the annual Celestial Ball. On February 25, 1997, the Adler celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the central component of this new vision: a facility expansion project culminating in the Sky Pavilion, an architecturally striking addition to the existing 1930s landmark structure on Chicago's lakefront.
Less than two years later, on January 8, 1999, the 60,000 square foot Sky Pavilion opened to the public. The new addition features four new exhibit galleries including the historic Atwood Sphere, a telescope terrace, a lakefront restaurant and the world's first StarRider Theater, a compelling virtual environment in which audiences can actively explore the Universe. The critically acclaimed architecture of the Sky Pavilion was conceived by Lohan Associates of Chicago and artfully combines history with contemporary design.
The renovation of the original 1930s building reached completion October 1, 1999. The renovated space contains two new gift shops, the Gateway to the Universe and History of Astronomy Galleries, along with the refurbished Sky Theater, completing the $40 million renovation project.
The years since the founding of the planetarium have seen remarkable growth in our understanding of the nature and extent of the Universe, including landings by Americans on the Moon and the exploration by space probes of most of the planets in the solar system. The Adler Planetarium has welcomed this growth of knowledge by keeping pace with the times, leading its millions of visitors to a better understanding of the Universe, and placing itself on the leading edge among science museums as it enters the 21st century.
The Adler is truly a museum for the new millennium, secure in its past, launching into the future.
2000-2009: To CyberSpace and Beyond
In 2001, The Center for Space Science Education opened at the Adler with the help of NASA. The Center includes the CyberSpace Learning Center, which combines a distance learning broadcast studio, multi-unit computer classroom, and an exhibition gallery offering daily updates from NASA.
The Adler opened a new permanent exhibition: Bringing the Heavens to Earth in 2002. Visitors learn how cultures around the world have explained and utilized the movement of the stars. Aliens at the Adler kicked off 2003, which themed around the possibilities of life on other worlds. Two new sky shows (Search for Alien Worlds and Alien Encounters) and a temporary exhibition, Stranded in an Alien Lab invited visitors to imagine and explore the universe for other forms of life. The year 2004 was a big year for planetarium shows. Mars Now!, Mars Rocks!/Future Frontier, The Future is Wild, Sonic Vision, Stars of the Pharaohs, and Secrets of Saturn. debuted.
On May 12, 2005, the Adler launched its 75th anniversary with a renewed commitment to academic achievement, public education, community partnerships and museum visibility. Retired NASA Astronaut James A. Lovell, Jr. served as chairman of the Adler's 75th anniversary celebration.
On May 11, 2007, the Adler unveiled its new Space Visualization Laboratory to bring the latest images of space science to the public. The museum completed a $1.1 million renovation of the Kroc Universe Theater, installing state-of-the-art technologies that enable the Adler to present 3-D shows and space visualizations.
The Adler hosted the largest-ever International Planetarium Society Conference in 2008, welcoming more than 600 participants to Chicago.
 
 
© 2001-2009 Adler Planetarium. All rights reserved.
1300 South Lake Shore Drive • Chicago IL 60605 • 312-922-STAR (7827)		 Regular hours: Mon.-Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sat./Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.