Imagination Station

Portside Festival Marketplace
Portside Festival Marketplace
General information
Status	Closed; redeveloped as Imagination Station
Type	Festival marketplace
Location	Toledo, Ohio
Groundbreaking	1982
Opened	1984
Closed	1990
Cost	$14 million
Owner	Toledo Economic Planning Council Development Corp.
Landlord	City of Toledo
Technical details
Floor count	2
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Mort Hoppenfeld
Architecture firm	The Collaborative
Developer	James Rouse and Enterprise Development Co.

Imagination Station
	Museum's main entrance with renovated exterior
Former name	Center of Science and Industry (COSI), Toledo Science Center
Established	October 10, 2009
Location	Toledo, Ohio, United States
Coordinates	41°39′07″N 83°31′53″W / 41.651904°N 83.531468°W
Type	Science museum
Website	imaginationstationtoledo.org

Imagination Station (formerly the Center of Science and Industry (COSI)) is a non-profit, hands-on science museum located on the Maumee River in downtown Toledo, Ohio. The facility has over 300 exhibits for "children of all ages".^[1]

The museum opened in 1997 as COSI. After tax levies failed in 2006^[2] and 2007, COSI closed its doors to the public on the last day of 2007 due to lack of funding.^[3] In 2008, voters approved an operating levy to reopen the facility as The Toledo Science Center. This interim name was replaced by "Imagination Station", which opened on 10 October 2009.^[4]

Prior to its use as a museum, the building was home to Portside Festival Marketplace, a festival marketplace-style shopping and restaurant complex that operated from 1984 until 1990.

History

Portside

In the 1950s through the 1970s, Toledo retailers began an exodus from the downtown business district toward the suburbs, or closed entirely.^[8] Among them, the grocery and department store Tiedtke's, once called "America's first supermarket," closed on Sept. 2, 1973.^[9] On May 7, 1975, a massive fire destroyed the store's former location at 408 Summit St., the riverfront land on which Portside would later be built.^[10] By 1984, each of Toledo's four main local department store retailers had left downtown or closed.^[11]

In the late 1970s, in an effort to promote urban renewal, Toledo mayor Douglas DeGood worked with leaders from Owens-Illinois and Toledo Trust to develop new headquarters for both companies on the Maumee riverfront.^[12]^[5]

Despite projections that Portside would serve as a catalyst for Downtown Toledo's rebirth, the project failed to generate forecasted visitors and revenues.^[13] ^[7] Portside's collapse contributed to the downfall of a Toledo-based regional bank, Toledo Trust, which financed the project, and left several small business owners in ruin.^[7] The Buffalo News said Portside "may be the best example of what not to do with waterfront shopping centers."^[14]

COSI

A mayoral committee appointed to find the best use for the site heard repeated community requests for an educational family attraction. The city asked COSI Columbus about its experience and resources, and subsequently the city and the Columbus organization created COSI Toledo, an independent, not-for-profit organization with a board of trustees from northwest Ohio.

A fundraising campaign raised $9.5 million, surpassing the goal by $4.5 million. The state government gave another $10 million.^[15] The former Portside Festival Marketplace facility was transferred to COSI at a value of $16 million. On March 1, 1997, COSI opened its doors to the public.^[16] The facility attracted an average of 250,000 visitors per year over its first decade.^[17]^[15]

In 2005, COSI won a National Award for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the nation’s highest honor for extraordinary public service by a museum or library.^[18] The award was presented by Laura Bush at a White House ceremony in January 2006.^[19]

On July 28, 2006, COSI Toledo and COSI Columbus legally split so each could focus on their own financial troubles.^[20] Later that year, Berrien Springs Public Schools awarded a 2006 Teachers' Choice Awards to COSI for its distance learning program.^[21] After voters voted down a second levy in November 2007, COSI Toledo closed due to lack of funding on December 31, 2007.^[3]

On November 4, 2008, Lucas County, Ohio, voters approved an operating levy for the science center, enabling it to reopen in fall 2009.

COSI entrance in 2007 (now Imagination Station), with Fifth Third Center at One SeaGate in the distance.
A Rube Goldbergian–style machine in the main lobby that creates music via user-dropped billiard balls.
The Toledo Harbor Lighthouse's original Fresnel lens on display.

Renovation

In 2019, the Imagination Station launched a $10 million upgrade, including an 8,200-square-foot theater with a 4K, 3D-capable screen and seats for people. KeyBank paid $2 million to name it KeyBank Discovery Theater. The new attraction requires the demolition of a pedestrian bridge. The center remains open during the construction, which is set to be complete in June 2020.^[22]^[23]

References

^ Erika Ray (2006). "Hot spots: New attractions take center stage at popular locales". The Blade. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2016. COSI has more than 300 exhibits for children of all ages
^ Jenni Laidman (November 9, 2006). "COSI seeks interim financial solution". The Blade. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Imagination Station". Imaginationstationtoledo.org. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Erica Blake (October 11, 2009). "1,100 flock to opening-day festivities at Toledo science center". Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Peterson, Iver (5 December 1982). "Residents of Toledo Divided Over Downtown Renewal Efforts". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Young, Michael John (1992). "Carolina Planning Vol. 18.1: On the Waterfront". CDR.lib.unc.edu. 18 (1): 12–16. doi:10.17615/22rs-w743. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c Murray, Dave (21 May 1989). "Portside troubled from start, financial documents indicate". The Blade. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
^ Yonke, David (2015). Lost Toledo. Charleston: The History Press. pp. 41–47. ISBN 9781626195707. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^ "Long Faces Of Employees, Customers Reflect News of Tiedtke's Closing". Toledo Blade. August 31, 1972. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
^ "Downtown Blaze Destroys Tiedtke's Building". Toledo Blade. May 8, 1975. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
^ Kaplan, Phillip (28 January 2019). "Out with the old, in with the nothing". The Blade. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
^ Zaborney, Mark (5 December 2019). "Doug DeGood (1947-2019): Toledo Mayor oversaw Portside, One SeaGate projects". The Blade. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
^ "COSI Toledo". Cultural Facilities Projects. Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Fairbanks, Phil (7 May 1989). "Toledo's Struggling Portside is Warning for Project Here". Buffalo News. Retrieved 31 Jan 2022.
^ ^a ^b "COSI Toledo". Cultural Facilities Projects. Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Big Wheel at COSI Toledo, vol. 59, Toledo, Ohio: The Blade, 1997-03-01
^ "FAQ for COSI Toledo". COSI Toledo. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ "Three Museums and Three Libraries to Receive Nation's Highest Honor for Extraordinary Community Service" (Press release). Institute of Museum and Library Services. November 30, 2005. Archived from the original on September 25, 2006. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ "Laura Bush lauds COSI Toledo". Toledoblade.com. January 31, 2006. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Burns, Adrian (2006-11-06). "COSI Columbus splitting with Toledo counterpart". bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Janine Lim. "Teachers' Choice Awards: Best Content Providers". Berrien Springs Public Schools. Archived from the original on April 3, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Mester, Alexandra. "Imagination Station to receive $10 million upgrade". Toledo Blade. Block Communications. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
^ Hormann, Bill. "Imagination Station to undergo $11M in renovations". 13abc.com. WTVG. Retrieved 7 October 2019.