Why post-Expo decisions more than 35 years ago plague Science World — and the land next door — today
CBC
David Eby came to Science World with all the enthusiasm of a premier making a good news announcement.
"It's bring your kid to work day here with my son Ezra," he said, motioning to one of the gaggle of young children who also attended the news conference announcing $20 million for Science World.
"I love any chance for my job to seem cooler to Ezra than it actually is. And for some reason, he didn't want to come to the council of forest industries meeting or the insurance brokers dinner."
As one of the favoured places for field trips in the province, Science World is popular with kids. And as potentially the most iconic building in Vancouver, it has plenty of nostalgia with adults.
But given all that, why had Science World fallen into such poor condition, with a leaking roof, lights that haven't been switched on for a year, a faulty electrical system and closed exhibits?
The answer partly lies in the pandemic, and partly in past management choices.
But it also lies in the convoluted structure of Science World — both from an organizational standpoint and an architectural one.
"The challenges here and the opportunities here started with the decision originally to build a temporary dome," said Eby, in defending why it took so long for the government to step up to the table.
Indeed, Science World was originally known as the Expo Centre, one of several structures created for Expo 86, the summer-long world fair that transformed Vancouver's waterfront and brought SkyTrain to the region.
Originally, it wasn't built to last — according to a Vancouver Sun article at the time, the B.C. Pavillion (later known as the Plaza of Nations) was set to be the "permanent legacy of Expo to Vancouver."
But after its popularity during Expo and a push by the city's Arts, Sciences & Technology Centre (ASTC), a new decision was made: preserve the building, with various levels of government spending around $15 million to turn it into a permanent structure and convert it to a science-first tourism and educational facility.
However, that didn't change the fact the core of the building wasn't meant to last.
"I want to give huge credit to Science World and their team for extending the life of this dome beyond the originally planned six months, to here we are 36 years later," said Eby.
"Like so many of the infrastructure challenges we face across the province, it has been neglected for too long."
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