Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak contributed $1.8 million to help launch a children’s museum in San Jose; the institution that opened in 1990 has since welcomed more than 10 million visitors

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak helped bring a San Jose children’s museum to life. Wozniak contributed $1.8 million toward the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose, helping provide the financial foundation for the 52,000-square-foot institution before it opened in 1990. The museum has since grown into one of the largest children’s museums in the US, with more than 150 interactive exhibits and programmes.​More than 10 million visitors have passed through its doors since opening, and its exhibits cover areas including science, humanities, performing arts, health, and physical fitness. The museum was created around the idea that children could learn through hands-on exploration rather than simply viewing objects, an approach that has remained central to its work.​

Steve Wozniak’s $1.8 million contribution

​The Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose was developed after two local women spent almost a decade raising money for the project, according to museum spokeswoman Karen McBride.​Wozniak’s $1.8 million contribution helped make it possible to start with a new 52,000-square-foot building rather than a smaller temporary location.​The museum opened its doors in 1990 and has continued adding exhibits and programmes aimed at children’s diverse educational needs.​

Museum focuses on hands-on learning

​The museum offers more than 150 interactive exhibits covering themes including community, connections and creativity.​Its approach reflects the broader shift in children’s museums from collections of objects that visitors simply look at towards interactive environments where children can explore and participate.​The museum’s exhibits have also expanded beyond indoor spaces. Bill’s Backyard, an outdoor learning environment, gives children opportunities to climb, dig, plant and explore nature.​The museum has also renovated its FoodShed café as part of efforts to make the building itself part of the learning experience.​

From San Jose to more than 10 million visitors

​Since opening, the Children’s Discovery Museum has welcomed more than 10 million visitors.​The museum’s distinctive 52,000-square-foot purple building was designed by Mexico City-based architect Ricardo Legorreta and has become a prominent part of downtown San Jose.​Its exhibits and programmes span science, humanities, performing arts, health and physical fitness, giving children different ways to learn through exploration.​

How children’s museums changed

​The San Jose museum opened as hands-on children’s museums became increasingly popular in the US.​The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, which describes itself as the world’s first children’s museum, had already established the concept decades earlier. However, interactive exhibits became increasingly common as museums shifted towards encouraging children to learn by doing.​By the time the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose opened, similar institutions were emerging across the Bay Area. The Bay Area Discovery Museum, for example, began in a small storefront in 1987 before moving to a larger location.​The San Jose museum instead opened in a purpose-built building, helped in part by Wozniak’s $1.8 million contribution and years of fundraising.​Today, more than three decades after its opening, the institution continues to use interactive exhibits and programmes to encourage children to explore, experiment and learn through play.