Longtime trustee Alexander Brest funds the purchase of a new planetarium for the museum's new location on the Southbank. The planetarium is housed in a 40-foot dome theater located in the present-day Community Conference Room, adjacent to the lobby. The Alexander Brest Planetarium opens October 21, 1988, and features a 60-foot dome, seating for 200 and a Jena Spacemaster projector, the first and only projector of its kind in the United States upon installation.