User:SuzanneTyrpak/Durango Discovery Museum at the Powerhouse

'The Durango Discovery Museum at the Powerhouse'

[Durango Discovery Museum] is a hands-on, interactive science center for all ages, located on the banks of the Animas River in Durango, in a historic coal-fired, steam generated AC power plant. After ten years of renovation, the museum opened on February 23, 2011, at 1333 Camino del Rio, Durango, Colorado.

The history of the Powerhouse is a story of intrigue and rivalry, of industry and innovation--consequently, the exploration of energy is a focus of museum exhibits. In 1892, the Durango Light and Power Company pioneered a new technology to generate energy: Alternating Current. This technology was not embraced by everyone, and even invited ridicule. Considered dangerous by some, AC power was banned in some Eastern states, but progress could not be held back, and AC soon became the standard--powering the world. The mountain town of Durango had AC powered streetlights before major Eastern cities.

In the mid-1940s, the plant was converted from coal-fired to gas-fired, and eventually became part of Western Colorado Power, providing power to Colorado's Western Slope. In the mid-1970s the Powerhouse was shut down. Considered an eye-sore, the Mission Style plant was slated to be destroyed. The Durango Powerhouse was listed on state and national registers of historic places, but until 1999, its fate was nebulous.

In 1999, the Durango Children's museum, established in 1994, had outgrown its space and was looking for a new home. The museum proposed a comprehensive plan to rescue the Powerhouse and create an inter-active science museum. In 2002, the Durango City Council passed a resolution to support the rebuilding of the Powerhouse.

Today, the riverfront of Durango has been revitalized. A bike path links one end of the town to another, and the Powerhouse is up and running as The Durango Discovery Museum.

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