18 May 2018
Poor ticket sales force closure of Portland Science Center
BY Tom Anstey
The city of Portland in Maine, US, has lost its science centre after just three years of operation, owing to poor ticket sales.
The Portland Science Center made its grand debut in September 2015, bringing German anatomist Gunther von Hagens' famed Body Worlds exhibit to the city.
Its owner – the Massachusetts-based edutainment firm The Gold Group – has closed the attraction, which it said has suffered from lagging attendance in recent years.
"I had a conversation with the owners and they were happy with the facility and the support we’ve given them," said the building's owner, Stephen Goodrich, speaking to Sun Journal. "They weren't however getting quite the same response in terms of visitors."
The science centre, which occupied 15,000sq ft (1,400sq m) over two floors, was situated on Maine Wharf, near the Maine State Pier. Renovation works and bringing in Body Worlds originally cost the operator US$1m (€850,000, £742,000). The centre had since brought travelling exhibitions on sharks, pirates and the Titanic.
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