The next step in the renovation of the Russell C. Davis Planetarium in downtown Jackson involves taking bids to equip the theater.
“We’re getting ready to take bids for the equipment that will be in the theater, which will be located on the third floor,” said Kane Ditto, who served as Jackson mayor from 1989 until 1997 and leads the fundraising for the renovation of the planetarium at 201 E. Pascagoula St.
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority should take bids for the equipment early this year, he said.
Bids will be taken on a full dome projection system, which includes the technology that projects images onto a curved, dome-shaped surface, creating an immersive, panoramic visual experience for viewers by wrapping the content around them, offering a seamless 360-degree view.
The planetarium will need to be equipped with a dome projection screen measuring 52.5-feet across. “That’s slightly smaller than the old screen but it will be a much better quality,” Ditto said.
A sound system that will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, an LED theatrical lighting system and a laser projection system are also needed.
Ditto estimates it will cost about $1 million to equip the theater, but the amount could be more or less, depending upon the bids received.
Fountain Construction Co. is expected to complete the renovation of the planetarium by September 2025.
“Everything being done is going to make visiting a much better experience,” Ditto said.
Fundraising for the renovation, which is costing $23 million, continues.
The Jackson Friends of the Planetarium have raised funds from sources that range from donations by individuals to gifts from foundations and businesses, he said.
Funding has come from the city of Jackson, $7.81 million; the city of Jackson Community Development Block Grant funds, $500,000; the state of Mississippi, $1 million; Hinds County (American Rescue Plan Act funds), $1.5 million; New Market Tax Credits and state tax credits, $5.1 million; the Marie R. Hoerner Foundation, $600,000; the Community Foundation for Mississippi, $2 million; the Junior League of Jackson, $500,000; Ergon Foundation, $500,000; and other foundation, corporate and personal contributions, $2.18 million.
To provide funding for upgrades to the planetarium, programming for students and special events at the planetarium, a fund will be established at the Community Foundation of Mississippi, Ditto said.
The planetarium will have a secure financial operating base including admission fees, annual budgeting support from the city of Jackson and annual program sponsorships, he said.
Supplementing that will be the Marie R. Hoerner Foundation, which currently provides about $90,000 each year to be used for projects at the planetarium, he said. That annual contribution is comparable to having a $2 million endowment, he said.
The planetarium opened in 1979 and closed in 2018 after a storm damaged its roof.
The renovation for which Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects +Engineers is providing architectural design support will result in a three-story atrium that will adjoin the Arts Center of Mississippi and provide greater prominence for the planetarium. The second floor is being renovated as a flexible educational space and administrative space, and the third floor will be the planetarium and include new exhibits.
Mike Williams, deputy director of human and cultural services for the city of Jackson and planetarium director, said the exhibits will be infused with science, technology and math principals because space science includes all of that.
“People think of an astronaut when they think of space science, but it has a wider aperture,” he said.
Many adults in the metro area have fond memories of attending programs at the planetarium.“We run into lots of adults who went to the planetarium when they were children,” he said.
David Lewis, then deputy director of cultural services for the city of Jackson and now executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, told the city council in October 2022, that the planetarium is not expected to be a revenue burden for the city.
Based on other museums, the planetarium should easily draw about 60,000 paying visitors annually, which is a conservative estimate, he said. Admission was estimated to cost $10 to $15 per person, he said.
Besides admission, revenue will also come from concessions, merchandise, space rentals, special events and after-hours programs, Lewis said.
Ditto said having a state-of-the-art planetarium will boost visitation to the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Two Museums and other attractions located downtown. “They all help each other,” he said.
Rickey Thigpen, Ph.D., president and CEO of Visit Jackson, said he expects the newly renovated planetarium to draw tourists, be an educational resource for students and provide an economic boost for the city and state.
Before closing, the planetarium had an economic impact of $2.1 million annually, said Thigpen, who expects the economic impact of the new facility with its new technology and programming to be even greater.
Thigpen expects new stories about the new facility to provide a positive boost for both the image of the city and state.
