Last week, North Texas media (and me) got one of the first looks inside the new Perot Museum of Nature & Science during a hard hat tour and construction update provided by Prtizker Prize winning architect Thom Mayne, Museum CEO Nicole Small and other Museum leaders. I was invited because Nicole Small discovered photos I had posted on my site when I first spoke about the project (here). She got word to the company handling the PR for the project and had my name added to the “media” list. (Thanks Nicole!)

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When I went on site for the tour, I had no idea that architect Thom Mayne from Morphosis was going to be on hand to talk about the project. I’m not much for star gawking (yes, in my world, Thom Mayne is a star) but I found myself at a complete loss for words. Most of the people on the tour were not architects – in fact, I might have been the only one – I was thinking “I need to represent!” I found myself standing next to T-Mayne for most of our time together but I didn’t say much. He asked me who I was, I told him I was an architect and how I came to be on a tour with a group of reporters. Now that he knew I was an “us” and not a “them”, he started to talk to me about all sorts of things about the building … until the docent running the tour told me I needed to catch up with my group … like NOW!! But my new BFF T-Mayne made me pinky swear that I would keep some things secret (wink) for now.

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Most of our time was spent walking around just a few areas within the building – most of the pictures I took from this tour were taken as I was being hustled from one space through another. This was a very active job site and I could understand why they were protective of where we could go … probably something to do with “we don’t want any of you to get run over by a giant back-loader.” I wasn’t really listening, I was trying to take a picture that would have me AND T-Mayne in it at the same time.

Before anybody starts (or continues) to confuse me with the actual media, I am just going to let you look at some of the pictures I took. This is the first time they have allowed anybody to come on-site and take photos on the interior … these are fresh-cutting edge-behind the scenes photos here people!! Where else are you going to get to see this?

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The $185-million Perot Science & Nature Museum, designed by Mayne and his California-based firm Morphosis, has been described by The Dallas Morning News architecture critic Scott Cantrell as “The boldest piece of modern architecture to hit Dallas.” Eye-catching and unusual, the building is under construction at the corner of Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Field Street in Dallas’ Victory Park. The project is slated to open in early 2013.

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