Museum of Science and Curiosity

Founded in 2021, MOSAC aims to be a regional hub for inspiring people of all ages to “explore the wonders, possibilities and responsibilities of science.”

The 50,000-square-foot educational institution, situated along the Sacramento River, offers more than 22,000 square feet of exhibit experiences and a 46-foot dome theater and planetarium. It celebrates all things STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and math.

The museum is housed is a historic electrical power station, built in 1912, that sat vacant for decades. The late Dr. Evangeline Higginbotham, executive director of Sacramento’s Discovery Museums, envisioned its transformation into a multipurpose science museum. In 2005, work began to repurpose the space—a project made possible by a public-private partnership between the Powerhouse Science Center, the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento County Office of Education and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), plus corporate partners and donors.

Mission Statement

Open November 2021, MOSAC’s mission is to serve as a dynamic regional hub that engages and inspires people of all ages to explore the wonders, possibilities, and responsibilities of science.

One of our major directives is to bring K-12 schools, colleges, universities, libraries, museums, and other community resources together to remove barriers and build a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) learning ecosystem that broadens and enriches each learner’s personal journey, with the ultimate goal of inspiring more students to enter STEAM careers.

History

Perched on the Sacramento River just north of Old Sacramento, a historic electrical power station, built in 1912, sat vacant and dilapidated for decades. Up until the early 2000s, a visitor was likely to encounter bats, cobwebs and dust.

But the late Dr. Evangeline Higginbotham, executive director of the city’s Discovery Museums, always thought of a multipurpose science museum as a dream within reach. Hers was the vision that spurred the City of Sacramento and the Powerhouse Science Center to transform the historic power station into a magnificent visitor destination committed to informal science education and experiences.

In 2005, the board of directors and the staff of the Powerhouse teamed up with preservation architects, construction managers, engineers and other experts to develop a comprehensive plan for the adaptive reuse of the historic power station and bring it back to life.

In a lauded public-private partnership spanning 15-plus years between the Powerhouse Science Center, the City of Sacramento, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), and a range of corporate partners and individual donors, construction on the new science center was finally completed in 2021.

The Powerhouse Science Center was renamed and rebranded in 2020 as the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity, or simply MOSAC.

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