Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Visiting the Hall of Science


From Scouting NY:

About halfway through the tour, my guide brought me to a pair of unassuming doors marked, simply, Great Hall. What I didn’t realize is that we were about to enter this cement portion…and, without question, one of the most amazing rooms I’ve ever been in in New York City.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Judging by the hour-glasses on the floor, and what i can see of the lighting instruments, it looks like the original Century Lekos are still there!!!

J.O. Douglaston said...

I've visited the Hall many times since 1965 and get a thrill every time.

I have read that a portion of the roof opened to observe the stars.
If this is true, had any reader
experienced it?

Anonymous said...

Hall of Science was a great place for us to go to years ago - of course it was free - so we went 2-3x a month. It was interactive then as it is now and it was really fun inside and outside among the rockets.

Today there is an admission etc that prevents families and kids to go often. Doing the math, if the HOS stayed open for free, there would be more kids buying treats and toys that would subsidize the overly staffed facility. They should man the reception desk with student o retirees as volenteers and cut back on administration that drains funds. Ultimately kid learn more about science and have fun indoors during the cold rainy days ahead. If they learn a little bit and enjoy the mysteries of Science then that a huge thing!

Anonymous said...

It's free on Friday's and Sunday's during the school year.

From their webite: http://www.nysci.org/visit/1428642/admissions

Enjoy free general admission, September through June, on Fridays, 2 – 5 pm; Sundays, 10 – 11 am; and during School's Out weeks on Fridays, 2 – 5 pm; and Sundays, 10 – 11 am. Free hours are suspended in July and August.

Anonymous said...

Anyone remember the film (which included a "live" model space shuttle docking" Rendezvous in Space? The film was shown in the Great Hall during the fair, and for a number of years after as well!

Joe said...

"original Century Lekos are still there!!!"

R: Yep, and a closet of Crown power amps. The road manager of the Romones was the audio guy at the place.
I'm still wondering where all that taxpayer "renovation' millions of $$ for Great Hall went aside some basic $ scaffolding and lift point work way up top---not millions that’s for sure !
You can hang the Space shuttle in there.

I was involved on the rocket restoration some years ago.
The place was so mismanaged not one person knew real "flown" Mercury capsule atop the Atlas booster up there since 1965.
When the rocket and capsule was pulled down we scraped off the birdshit got the hatch (noting a real seal) and almost had heart attacks.
IT WAS REAL NASA built hardware ! The chair cushions were was missing but it was complete with real gauges, telemetry electronics, abort switch in preserved condition.
No doubt air from 1965 spilled out!!
BTW live healthy Kittens were inside Atlas booster !!
A fiberglass replica sits atop the rocket now.
The original is on display in the hall. Up close you'd never think a men flew in these Mercury capsules. Its equal to hiding in a garbage can with a 8 inch window. Those 50s and 60's test pilots (Astronauts) must have been selected to be real short and lightweight

--------------------

"I have read that a portion of the roof opened to observe the stars"

I been up there tuning (SWR) on the Yagi with the old HF radio club. That would be the "pre-no-coder" days with real American made radios and CW keys)
I doubt the roof would be open to the public and 2: -the light pollution is just disgusting.
On a clear night you cant see many stars let alone planets.

Id say "Space" as in more after school babysitting "Space" for you know what

-Joe

Anonymous said...

Joe said..."R: Yep, and a closet of Crown power amps."

That must have been a separate or later contract from the Fair. Most of the sound systems at the pavilions were installed by House Of Interphones and they used DuKane eq.

Decades later I worked with Alex Rosner who had installed a Discotheque sound system at (IIRC) the NYS Pav. They already had a DuKane system which was spec but sounded like a school PA. Rosner said he used two Altec A1567 pre's (one of which I now have)as mixer and I believe Bozak columns.


I was in a TV commercial shot for the second season (65). My grandmother out in Illinois saw it, but I don't think it aired here..Got paid resid's though.

Joe said...

Is Alex Rosner still around ?
He used to do my speaker re-coning.
Back in the day the hot speaker for Bass guitar was the JBL-D140. A trip to AST in the city was a real pain carrying D-140s

If you ever seen the movie "Schindlers List" Im 90% positive Alex is portrayed as the clever little boy who lives.

-Joe

Anonymous said...

Joe said...
Is Alex Rosner still around ?

Yep, still in LIC too:
http://www.rosnercustomsound.com/

What's funny is that if you peruse his client list, he lists places that have undergone several reno's since his installations decades ago.

Clever boy indeed.

Joe said...

Great Alex is still around hes an icon.

Looks like he's in or next door to the old See Factor warehouse. I worked at See Factor (Bob C and Sinclair) for the RATT-Twisted Sister tour.
They were cheapest British bastards you can imagine. They also had this nasty dike shop manager running the place.
--I told all of them to "stick it" one morning and moved to LA to act and record music soundtracks.

-Joe