The Delaware Children's Museum opened last weekend at the site of the previous Big Kahuna, across from Frawley Stadium. However, this new tourist destination will serve up more grand slams to the mired Riverfront than their athletic-themed neighbor.
The DCM covers all the bases regarding a desperately needed new market along the Christiana – that being children. Prior to last Saturday the Riverfront was a glut of restaurants, a retail vision that failed miserably due to poor access planning, condos that had to be auctioned off and a state of the art conference center lacking a necessary ingredient; a contiguous hotel.
The A list of politicians spoke at the opening: Senator Carper, Congressman Castle and Chris Coons. Carper, who was given deserved credit for flattening speed bumps during the fifteen year process stated, “Along with a lot of children in the First State, I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I am thrilled to be here to celebrate the long-anticipated opening of Delaware’s first and only museum for children. This museum—with its focus on energy, science, technology and our environment—literally will change the lives of tens of thousands of young people in the years ahead. Their eyes will be opened to possible careers in fields where our nation’s needs are great. They will go on to become scientists, engineers, biologists, researchers, inventors and much more. The Delaware Children’s Museum will be more than just a fun place to visit. It will be much more than just a children’s museum. It will also serve as a bridge to the future; a brighter future for young boys and girls today and for generations to come.”
Five possible locations were considered for the venue. Then one fortuitous day two years ago The Big Kahuna surprisingly shuttered its doors. Voila! A huge footprint of concrete became available. Timing is everything they say. The landmark volcano became extinct and was replaced by exhibits such as:
ECOnnect - hands on activities for kids to get in touch with their environment.
Bank On It - another hands on exhibit dealing with money management.
Studio D - where kids can exhibit their artistic creativity
Stratosphere – an enclosed 30 foot diameter climber
Training Wheels – exploring trains, cars and things that go
The Power of Me – The power of the human body
The economic impact is considerable. The Association of Children’s Museums indicates that 35% of children’s museums are flagships in downtown revitalization projects. (Aisle Say this is sounding good!) It will employ 28 full time people.
Economic studies project that the DCM will bring in 135,000 visitors to the Riverfront annually – 362 days a year. It is estimated that for every $13.00 spent within the museum, guests spend another $12.00 on restaurants, shops, gas stations and other services that accommodate these families.
General admission is $12.00 per person (children under 12 months are free). A full general admission membership is available. Open 9am to 4:30pm
DelawareChildrensMuseum.org
Showing posts with label Wilmington riverfront. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wilmington riverfront. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, September 14, 2009
The Queen Theatre Groundbreaking
“A year from now, downtown Wilmington will be a different place.”
Bill Taylor, Light Up The Queen Foundation executive director ended our conversation last week on this confident note. A testimony to his vision or his hubris? Time will tell.
The Queen breaks ground on its $24 million renovation 10 a.m. Oct. 2, Aisle Say is the first to report. A spate of dignitaries with ceremonial hard hats and silver tipped shovels will be on display that day followed by what Taylor describes as “the biggest street party in the history of Wilmington.”
A great accomplishment, this fund raising, this corralling of public and private resources, this incorporation of Hal Real of Philly's World Cafe Live into the entertainment mix.
But it's not about the money, and the single biggest threat to its success has never been material.
It's always been that amorphous dreaded "perception" of downtown after dark -- the same problem that has hovered above Market Street for decades like the wispy apparitions from “Ghostbusters.”
Is Wilmington safe after 5 p.m.?
This is the fundamental issue that must be resolved to the public's satisfaction. Nothing else comes close. And perception, dear readers, is most difficult to quantify and reconcile. The question has haunted downtown since Rob and Chris Buccini were in lower school at Wilmington Friends and our riverfront was a desolate toxic graveyard of shipbuilding sites.
Steve Bailey, The Grand executive director, says the facts are clear: Wilmington is a much safer downtown than the majority of cities its size. Even so, people are fearful.
Thus, Taylor's adamant statement that substantive relief – think John Wayne as a calvary captain in “Fort Apache” – is over the horizon.
“We have made a major investment in safety and police protection,” he says. “There will be police patrolling on foot and bike. When The Queen opens, there will be security guards in and around the venue at all times. Our success is based on safety.”
Buccini Pollin Group has invested tens of millions of dollars in the city. They have staked their personal reputations on downtown's success.
For Rob Buccini, The Queen, at 5th & Market streets is the centerpiece of downtown, linking their Residences of Rodney Square apartments to Justison Landing and their high rise and low rise developments on the Riverfront. Even now, construction is in full swing to turn the Great Room of The Residences into a new restaurant, The Publick House. Across the street at the former WSFS headquarters, the BPGroup is deciding what to do with this property. Once proposed as a boutique hotel, those plans have been dropped.
The 18-month Queen construction project will eventually house a venue for 800 guests and a restaurant serving 200 -- not unlike the World Cafe Live in Philly. There will be private event spaces on the Market Street side and studios for a WXPN satellite radio station. Giving back with a plethora of education is in the mix as well.
For more information, visit LightUpTheQueen.org
Bill Taylor, Light Up The Queen Foundation executive director ended our conversation last week on this confident note. A testimony to his vision or his hubris? Time will tell.
The Queen breaks ground on its $24 million renovation 10 a.m. Oct. 2, Aisle Say is the first to report. A spate of dignitaries with ceremonial hard hats and silver tipped shovels will be on display that day followed by what Taylor describes as “the biggest street party in the history of Wilmington.”
A great accomplishment, this fund raising, this corralling of public and private resources, this incorporation of Hal Real of Philly's World Cafe Live into the entertainment mix.
But it's not about the money, and the single biggest threat to its success has never been material.
It's always been that amorphous dreaded "perception" of downtown after dark -- the same problem that has hovered above Market Street for decades like the wispy apparitions from “Ghostbusters.”
Is Wilmington safe after 5 p.m.?
This is the fundamental issue that must be resolved to the public's satisfaction. Nothing else comes close. And perception, dear readers, is most difficult to quantify and reconcile. The question has haunted downtown since Rob and Chris Buccini were in lower school at Wilmington Friends and our riverfront was a desolate toxic graveyard of shipbuilding sites.
Steve Bailey, The Grand executive director, says the facts are clear: Wilmington is a much safer downtown than the majority of cities its size. Even so, people are fearful.
Thus, Taylor's adamant statement that substantive relief – think John Wayne as a calvary captain in “Fort Apache” – is over the horizon.
“We have made a major investment in safety and police protection,” he says. “There will be police patrolling on foot and bike. When The Queen opens, there will be security guards in and around the venue at all times. Our success is based on safety.”
Buccini Pollin Group has invested tens of millions of dollars in the city. They have staked their personal reputations on downtown's success.
For Rob Buccini, The Queen, at 5th & Market streets is the centerpiece of downtown, linking their Residences of Rodney Square apartments to Justison Landing and their high rise and low rise developments on the Riverfront. Even now, construction is in full swing to turn the Great Room of The Residences into a new restaurant, The Publick House. Across the street at the former WSFS headquarters, the BPGroup is deciding what to do with this property. Once proposed as a boutique hotel, those plans have been dropped.
The 18-month Queen construction project will eventually house a venue for 800 guests and a restaurant serving 200 -- not unlike the World Cafe Live in Philly. There will be private event spaces on the Market Street side and studios for a WXPN satellite radio station. Giving back with a plethora of education is in the mix as well.
For more information, visit LightUpTheQueen.org
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