Opened in 1969, the Ontario Science Centre stands as a testament to Canada’s Centennial celebrations. It was a gift to the people of Ontario. The provincial government commissioned architect Raymond Moriyama in 1964. His task was to design one of the first interactive science museums in the world.
Raymond Moriyama took on the architectural mandate to connect with nature to another level. The Vancouver-born, Toronto-based architect broke down the building into three parts. He made it a slave to its site. Part one sits on the public road. A bridge leads to part two. An escalator goes down a valley to part three.
Moriyama made it out of concrete. It seems as if it grew from a scattering of seeds. Architect Brian Rudy worked closely with Moriyama on the 2005 Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. He said it wasn’t about brutalism. It was about the textures, the spaces, and the connection to nature.
The bridge offered a moment of being up in the treetops. You could see the canopy of trees and any wildlife. You got a different perspective on the forest. The escalator showcased the understory and the root systems. You could see bugs and insects.
The Ontario Science Centre became Canada’s first interactive science museum. It was one of the first in North America. Generations of schoolchildren visited under its bold canopy. They experienced touchy-feely activities. The hair-raising Van de Graaff generator filled the air with static electricity. Some kids were interested in the jagged bands of concrete. They contrasted with bits that looked like fossilized wood.
Rudy recalls Moriyama’s specific ideas about the board-form pattern. He talked about the ooze joints. This meant separating the boards during forming. It ensured concrete oozed out between them. It made it look very natural and rough-hewn.
Part rough-hewn Mayan temple and part sleek modernist architecture pavilion. Moriyama’s magnum opus faced an uncertain future. In June 2024, the provincial government abruptly closed it. They cited failing infrastructure including critical roof issues. The building was referred to as a total mess by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Public outcry was swift. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation found less than six percent of the building’s roof tiles were dangerous. Moriyama Teshima Architects offered to oversee repairs pro bono. The godfather of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton, offered a million Canadian dollars. The family-run Vohra Miller Foundation offered the same.
The Save Ontario Science Centre Group raised almost 93,000 signatures to save it. Other concerned groups raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. The premier has not accepted any help thus far. Instead, he plans to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to smaller quarters. It will be at the shuttered Ontario Place site in Toronto Harbour.
The City of Toronto seems interested in working with them and helping them. It’s a real legacy piece of architecture. It is recognized internationally. While the province owns the Ontario Science Centre, the land is leased to the province. The City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority govern it. The lease expires in 2064.
For 55 years, the Ontario Science Centre inspired a love of science in millions of visitors. It believed science, technology, and innovation would help shape a better future. Since its closure, it continues to ignite curiosity. It brings science experiences to new spots in new ways. These include pop-up programs, hands-on experiments, and online experiences.