Bloomberg's $155 Million Gift Opens: Museum of Science Boston Unveils New Public Science Common
The Museum of Science in Boston opened its new William and Charlotte Bloomberg Public Science Common to the public on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The 10,000-square-foot glass wing over the Charles River — with floor-to-ceiling glass and 270-degree views of the river and the Boston skyline — was funded by a $155 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the largest in the museum’s history, and is named for William and Charlotte Bloomberg of Medford, the parents of Michael Bloomberg. Michael Bloomberg was raised in nearby Medford and regularly visited the museum as a child, experiences he credits with sparking his curiosity and love of learning. The gift follows his $50 million donation in 2016. Bloomberg, who cofounded the financial-data, technology and media company Bloomberg L.P. and served three terms as mayor of New York City, has an estimated fortune of approximately $94.9 billion as of October 9, 2026, according to Forbes. Designed by William Rawn Associates and built by Consigli Construction, the Common is a flexible civic venue with state-of-the-art immersive media, production, and livestreaming technology — including the Deep Space projection system from Ars Electronica, which throws imagery across the floor and walls, six movable LED video walls, and spatial sound — so events can reach audiences around the world. Museum president Tim Ritchie said the room lets the museum respond faster to new science than permanent exhibits can: “Science at the pace of exhibits is very slow.” Of the venue’s mission, he said: “Science isn’t confined to distant labs. We live it every day, in our health, our culture, and the choices we make about our future. This region holds some of the world’s richest intellectual capital, and the public deserves a front-row seat to it. The William and Charlotte Bloomberg Public Science Common opens that door.” The museum has announced an expanded fall lineup for the new space. A new signature discussion series, Luminaries, will be headlined by Emmy Award-winning comedian Trevor Noah on October 19 with a conversation about the ethics, opportunities, and policy challenges surrounding super intelligence. On November 19, astronauts Sian Proctor and Amanda Nguyen will join “Breaking Barriers: Women in Space,” and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and cancer physician Siddhartha Mukherjee will also appear this fall. Programs will explore super intelligence, wildfires and public health, Indigenous climate knowledge, and public trust in science. The new facility is part of the museum’s broader ambition to reach one billion people worldwide through science storytelling by 2030, alongside goals of two million onsite visitors and three million school learners. Daytime programs in the new space are included with regular Exhibit Halls admission; evening talks and concerts are ticketed separately, with public sales having begun October 9 — and several of the first evening shows already sold out.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Daderot 摄，公有领域（Wikimedia Commons）
