New York Museum Goes ‘Cube-ular’

New York City added an architectural landmark this weekend with the opening of the Frederick Phineas & Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space, a 120-foot-high “cosmic cathedral” of glass and steel at the American Museum of Natural History.

The focus of the Rose Center, part of a $210-million addition to the museum at Central Park West and West 81st Street, is the renovated Hayden Planetarium, which is enclosed in an 87-foot-diameter sphere that is itself enclosed in a giant cube of clear glass set atop a granite base. The upper section of the planetarium is the Space Theater, billed as “the most realistic depiction ever attempted in a planetarium”; the bottom section houses a laser and special-effects show focused on the big-bang theory of the universe’s creation.

In a touch of Hollywood in Manhattan, actress Jodie Foster narrates the big-bang show, and actor Tom Hanks narrates the inaugural planetarium show, “Passport to the Universe.” The addition also includes new permanent exhibition space.

The museum is open daily; hours vary. Regular admission, which excludes the Hayden Planetarium Space Show, is $10 for adults, $7 for children. Tickets that include the show are $19 for adults, $11.50 for children. Information: tel. (212) 769-5100.