Meyer Planetarium

The Robert R. Meyer Planetarium was a 90-seat specialty theater for teaching astronomy that opened in 1964 on the campus of Birmingham-Southern College. Built as a cost of $98,669, the planetarium was planned to take advantage of public interest in space exploration coinciding with NASA's Apollo program. It's establishment was supported by the Robert S. Meyer Foundation named in memory of hotel executive Robert Meyer.

The theater used a "Spitz A-3P" projector, enhanced with a stereophonic sound system to present educational programs to students, as well as to the public.

Over the ensuing decades, the college did not invest in upgrading the planetarium's equipment or maintaining staff. During the school's 2010 financial crisis, it was closed down permanently. The building is scheduled to be renovated in 2018 for use as a "GeoDome" to present programs on Alabama geography.

References

• Hilltop News at archive.org
• Roald Hazelhoff, director of the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) at Birmingham-Southern