SANTA ANA : Discovery Museum Will Add IMAX Later

The pall cast over the local economy by Orange County’s bankruptcy has prompted officials at the Discovery Museum to postpone construction of an IMAX theater indefinitely, a spokeswoman said Friday.

The seven-story IMAX theater was to be part of a $25-million Discovery Science Center science education center full of exhibits at the northern edge of Santa Ana, said spokeswoman Pam Shambra.

“We will put the IMAX in. We just won’t do it in the initial phase,” she said.

Center designs now call for a two-story, 76,000-square-foot, hands-on center to be built at 2522 N. Main St. Aimed at spurring interest in science among youth, the museum would feature health, aerospace, environment and other science exhibits and would be expected to attract as many as 750,000 visitors a year, she said.

Officials of Discovery Museum, a private, nonprofit corporation, have raised $9 million toward construction of the primary complex, but must raise $4 million more. Adding the $12-million cost of the IMAX theater to the smaller fund-raising goal might discourage donors, she said.

“In light of the bankruptcy, the perception in the county is that it is not achievable to raise $16 million, so therefore we have changed our strategy and will try to raise only the $4 million now,” she said. “If you think your $100,000 is going toward something achievable, you’re much more likely to give $100,000.”

She said it remains unclear how long the IMAX portion of the project will be delayed.