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A New Addition to the Oakland Skyline: 
200-Ton Crane Lowers 30,000 lb. Dome

OAKLAND (February 23, 2000) -- The new Chabot Space & Science Center prepares to raise a 45 1/3 foot diameter and 28 foot high, 30,000 lb. dome on this Friday, February 25th at 8:00 am. (Weather permitting) A 200-ton crane will be lifting the dome, comprised of 72 aluminum panels secured by steel arches, to its permanent home, 1500 feet above sea level, at the new Chabot Space & Science Center in the Oakland Hills.

Beginning at 8:00 am, the 200-ton crane will be setting up. As the crane swings into action at approximately 9:00 am, six men will stand by to assist. The backdrop for this shot will be a spectacular panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay.

Located on 13 acres in the Oakland Hills on Skyline Boulevard, the new Chabot Space & Science Center’s 86,000 square foot facility will feature three observatories. The dome, which will be lowered this Friday, will host Chabot’s 20-inch, 1915 refractor telescope named Rachel. (A smaller domed observatory houses the Center’s vintage 8-inch refractor telescope Leah, given by Anthony Chabot in 1883.) The final observatory to be installed later will house the new 36-inch reflector telescope, which employs a mirror system and does not need a conventional dome.

Jack Jordan of Observadome, the Jackson, Mississippi design and engineering company, which specializes in Observatory construction, will be present and available for interviews. Jack has installed domes globally in such countries as Turkey, Italy and Japan. He estimates that the installation process will take about 2 hours.

This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for capturing and recording Bay Area history in the making and an engineering tour de force!

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