When I was a child, in the 1960's and 1970's, my brother and I spent a great many Sunday afternoons at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Our parents would drop us off and we would wander the halls all day, meeting up for lunch. At the time we believed that it would take four days of steady walking to see the whole museum from end to end; after twelve years we would still discover new corners.

I went back to Chicago a few years back and was very saddened to discover that the museum had shrunk to a fraction of its old size, although many favorites were still there. As a challenge to memory, I am trying to remember as much of it as possible, what existed and where.

I think this might be of broader interest. If you would like to add something, please send it to me at betsys99@yahoo.com

Please do send additions and corrections!
You can see the museum's current exhibits at
http://www.msichicago.org , but I would like to try to do this from memory.

I'm going to outline what I remember of the layout first, and then go back and add details.

Walking in, the first thing visible front and center was the gift shop. Ah, what a gift shop. More on that later. Behind the gift shop, was the great Rotunda. I think there was a huge globe of some sort there. At Christmastime, this Rotunda was filled with Christmas trees Giant trees, it seemed to me, but I was a short child, decorated with crafts and flags from different countries. I think it was the Swedish tree which had marvelous ornaments made out of straw.

Entering on the left, there was a hall with the Chemistry exhibit, and another on what might have been domestic science. On the right, the entrance to the Telecommunications exhibit, and something in the second hallway. On the left of the Rotunda was the Coal Mine, with elevator shaft extending up to the second floor. Behind, the giant Train set, and behind *that* the photography exhibit. Somewhere off to the right, the farm exhibit, and I'm trying to remember how we got to it but there was also a petroleum exhibit. (I can't remember now, but there was also a Steel exhibit, which may have been replaced by something in the 1970's, perhaps when the energy exhibit was expanded?

When I was a child, in the 1960's and 1970's, my brother and I spent a great many Sunday afternoons at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Our parents would drop us off and we would wander the halls all day, meeting up for lunch. At the time we believed that it would take four days of steady walking to see the whole museum from end to end; after twelve years we would still discover new corners.

I went back to Chicago a few years back and was very saddened to discover that the museum had shrunk to a fraction of its old size, although many favorites were still there. As a challenge to memory, I am trying to remember as much of it as possible, what existed and where.

I think this might be of broader interest. If you would like to add something, please send it to me at betsys99@yahoo.com

Please do send additions and corrections!
You can see the museum's current exhibits at
http://www.msichicago.org , but I would like to try to do this from memory.

I'm going to outline what I remember of the layout first, and then go back and add details.

Walking in, the first thing visible front and center was the gift shop. Ah, what a gift shop. More on that later. Behind the gift shop, was the great Rotunda. I think there was a huge globe of some sort there. At Christmastime, this Rotunda was filled with Christmas trees Giant trees, it seemed to me, but I was a short child, decorated with crafts and flags from different countries. I think it was the Swedish tree which had marvelous ornaments made out of straw.

Entering on the left, there was a hall with the Chemistry exhibit, and another on what might have been domestic science. On the right, the entrance to the Telecommunications exhibit, and something in the second hallway. On the left of the Rotunda was the Coal Mine, with elevator shaft extending up to the second floor. Behind, the giant Train set, and behind *that* the photography exhibit. Somewhere off to the right, the farm exhibit, and I'm trying to remember how we got to it but there was also a petroleum exhibit. (I can't remember now, but there was also a Steel exhibit, which may have been replaced by something in the 1970's, perhaps when the energy exhibit was expanded?