Plans for a science center began in 1957, first 'COSI' opened in 1964

Grace Freeman, Special to The Dispatch

Sun, March 29, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC

2 min read

This 1970s aerial view shows the Center of Science and Industry's original location in the former Memorial Hall building, sandwiched between the 21-story Midland Building at left and the Christopher Inn, Columbus' unique circular hotel that operated from 1963-1988. — This 1970s aerial view shows the Center of Science and Industry's original location in the former Memorial Hall building, sandwiched between the 21-story Midland Building at left and the Christopher Inn, Columbus’ unique circular hotel that operated from 1963-1988.

"Pendulum Swings to Applause." That was the headline in The Columbus Dispatch after the Center of Science and Industry, now known as COSI, first opened.

In 1957, the Franklin County Historical Society and several local businesspeople began to envision a science center for central Ohio. They wanted a center that would be of statewide interest, not-for-profit, and dedicated to better understanding of the science and technology that was fast becoming part of daily life in the modern age.

COSI director S.N. Hallock shows COSI operating committee chairman Herschel S. Stephan his new office's instrument board which accommodates television, intercommunication, radio and other cutting-edge technologies.

The society hoped that the center would "stimulate and encourage a better understanding of research, development and the American system of free enterprise through exhibits of science and industry and history."

After years of development, the Franklin County Commissioners in 1962 approved $502,000 to renovate Memorial Hall on East Broad Street to house the Center of Science and Industry and the Franklin County Historical Society, which would oversee the science center.

Mrs. William MacDonald tries out the "picture-phone" at the Center of Science and Industry, now simply known as COSI, in 1964. It was one of only three in the United States at the time.

Renovations moved quickly, with large donors stepping up to contribute funds for exhibits, or actual materials for display. Battelle Memorial Institute which donated a 100-seat planetarium. F & R Lazarus Co. provided funds for an auditorium. The Junior League of Columbus contributed "The Transparent Lady," a life-sized plexiglass figure with visible internal organs. The Union Fork and Hoe Co. donated the "Durell Street of Yesteryear" in memory of the firm's founder, George Britton Durell. In addition, there were many other contributions.

The Dispatch donated a Foucault pendulum, hence the headline after the center's opening.

Visitors gather around the original Foucault pendulum in the COSI entry soon after the center's opening. The pendulum knocks down pins set around the field's perimeter as it swings. The Foucault pendulum is named for French physicist Léon Foucault, who introduced the experiment in 1851 to prove the Earth's rotation. — Visitors gather around the original Foucault pendulum in the COSI entry soon after the center’s opening. The pendulum knocks down pins set around the field’s perimeter as it swings. The Foucault pendulum is named for French physicist Léon Foucault, who introduced the experiment in 1851 to prove the Earth’s rotation.

The center hosted several private preview tours in the days leading up to the grand opening on Saturday, March 29, 1964.

Center of Science and Industry, now COSI, on its opening day on March 29, 1964, at the former Memorial Hall on East Broad Street in downtown Columbus.

Attendees at the grand opening included donors, civic and business leaders, educators, and Ohio Gov. James Rhodes. The center opened to the public the next day, and welcomed more than 5,000 visitors.

Mrs. Samuel H. Porter trains COSI volunteers at the moon exhibit in the weeks following the opening. Pictured are Mrs. Edmund A. Donnan Jr., Mrs. Thomas S. Morse, Mrs. Charles H. Hamilton, and Mrs. William C. Rigsby.

In 1999, COSI moved to a different historic site – the former Central High School building at 333 W. Broad St., where it remains today. COSI is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution, with more than 1 million people engaging with their learning experiences annually. Learn more about COSI at cosi.org .

Grace Freeman is a librarian with the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Center of Science and Industry, now COSI, opened on March 29, 1964

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