Sabrina Flores
Communications
Discover Albany
sabrina@relentlessaware.com
518.813.4905
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 4, 2020
ALBANY HERITAGE EXHIBIT, HENRY HUDSON PLANETARIUM TO CLOSE THIS MONTH
Discover Albany Visitors Center says farewell to heritage attraction at their shared home in Quackenbush Square
ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 4, 2020) –The Albany Visitors Center History Exhibit Gallery and the Henry Hudson Planetarium, currently housed in the Discover Albany Visitors Center at 25 Quackenbush Square, will close its doors in late February 2020.
The Albany Exhibit will be open through Friday, Feb. 14. The Henry Hudson Planetarium will run its shows as scheduled through the winter break, including its February 15 Love Among the Stars show, before closing its doors on Feb. 20. This closure does not include the USS Albany exhibit, which will remain open to visitors.
The Henry Hudson Planetarium was a vision decades in the making, first conceived in 1959 to honor explorer Henry Hudson during the midst of the space race. In the late 1980s, these visions became more of a reality as funding for the planetarium was made possible through funds from the Albany County Hudson-Champlain Celebration, Inc; the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and the City of Albany.
The planetarium first opened to visitors in February 1992 after a few years of planning by city and county officials. Since opening its doors, thousands of visitors have explored the stars and the universe under its 30 ft. dome.
The move came as part of Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan’s efforts to support redevelopment at and around Quackenbush Square in Downtown Albany. Discover Albany will continue to manage the Visitors Center and Gift Shop out of the Quackenbush Square location, while a new tenant, the Irish American Heritage Museum, will take over the exhibit space in March.
“While we are saddened by the closure of the history exhibit and planetarium after almost 30 years in operation, we understand that the City of Albany is looking toward future opportunities and development. This attraction was not part of that vision,” said Jill Delaney, president and CEO of Discover Albany.
Discover Albany’s role as the Destination Marketing Organization for Albany County and management entity of the Discover Albany Visitors Center will not change.
“We will continue many of our programs that are unrelated to the exhibit and will be rolling out new programming throughout the year, so stay tuned,” said Kathy Quandt, director of operations for Discover Albany. “We would like to thank everyone – staff, volunteers, community partners, school groups and local residents – who have visited and supported the exhibit and planetarium throughout the years.”
For more information about Discover Albany, the Albany Exhibit, or the Henry Hudson Planetarium and its show schedule, please visit albany.org.
###
About Discover Albany. The Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. was established in 1976 to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community through increased development of conventions and tourism. Today, the organization is known as Discover Albany. Discover Albany currently represents more than 300 member businesses and assists each year in hundreds of regional meetings. Discover Albany also operates the Discover Albany Visitors Center, Henry Hudson Planetarium, and the Albany International Airport Information Center. The Albany County Convention and Visitors Bureau Foundation was established in 1993 to provide educational opportunities and work with other organizations to secure grants and funding to advance regional travel and tourism projects. For more information, call 518-434-1217 or 800-258-3582 or visit www.albany.org.