Carnegie Science Center to get new name after $65 million donation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Carnegie Science Center is getting a new name after a Pittsburgh family made a $65 million donation.
The science center will now be called the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center after the family. It's the largest monetary gift ever given to the science center since the original contribution of founder Andrew Carnegie.
Daniel Kamin says childhood visits to Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, the precursor to the science center, inspired his personal dedication to science. The Buhl Planetarium was renamed Carnegie Science Center and opened to the public in its current location on the North Shore in 1991.
"I vividly recall crafting my own telescope during many inspired visits to The Buhl, so I have a great appreciation for the role the Science Center plays in educating and inspiring our young people," Daniel Kamin said in a news release from the science center. "The Science Center is a vital contributor to the economic vitality of the Pittsburgh region and a great partner to our schools and science-based businesses. Carole and I were inspired by the future vision presented by the Science Center's leadership, and we felt compelled to support it in a meaningful way."
Science center director Jason Brown said the donation means everything he's dreamed about can happen now.
"It's an incredible relief for us. Because again, we have 12 acres of asphalt parking lots that we think can be something that really provides an anchor for the entire city that can be a model for environmental and economic sustainability," Brown said.
Speaking of parking lots, it's how Dan Kamin got his entrepreneurial start -- back in the days of Forbes Field.
"People could walk from our house to Forbes Field, and I would charge $1, my dad let me do it, I would charge $1 for a parking space. That's a lot better than it is today," Daniel Kamin said.
According to the Pittsburgh Foundation's website, the Daniel G. Kamin and Carole L. Kamin Fund was established in 2011 as a way to carry on the family's legacy. Daniel Kamin joined the family real estate business Kamin Realty in 1969 and became the president and owner of the commercial side of the business.
Kamin Realty says on its website that it manages over 400 properties across 44 states and Puerto Rico, with a gross leasable area of over 15 million square feet.
