Spartanburg builds major planetarium in downtown

  • 2024-01-02
The ground has been broken on a Spartanburg planetarium.

This out-of-this-world offering will be next door to the library in the downtown area, although a name for the planetarium has not yet been determined. Funding for the project is made possible by bonds from the county and $5m from private donations.

Such sites often use banner printing to inform residents of projects and their opening date.

Mayor Jerome Rice said this is a special time for the city, as the downtown area is undergoing a period of transformation. Todd Stephens, librarian for the county, said that now not only will the sciences be brought to the street, but other activities and entertainment will follow.

The planetarium will be three stories high and will have an outdoor public plaza next to the library headquarters. Inside the planetarium there will be an auditorium with 134 seats, which will host movies and educational programs, and a 50-foot dome. Stephens said there will also be classrooms and a makerspace, which will have sewing machines, three-dimensional printers, podcast equipment, and embroidery machines.

County Councilman Manning Lynch said this project will not only be a great resource for the children of the community, but will bring momentum to the downtown area too.

The grand opening of the planetarium is expected in April 2025 as long as the construction process moves along as planned.