NCAR celebrates 50th anniversary
Labs’ anniversary to be marked by series of events
boulder » If the Flatirons are the iconic natural feature dominating the Boulder Valley, it’s very likely that its supreme manmade landmark is a rosehued edifice on a hill, the National Center for Atmospheric Research that dominates TableMesa.
The NCAR complex as a visual touchstoneworks on multiple levels, its modernist design a sympathetic tribute to the unique environment in which it stands, its occupants an example of the innovative, sciencebased professional culture forwhich Boulder is widely known.
The importance of NCAR’s place in the community will be marked by a series of events in Boulder slated for August, although the 50th anniversary of its May 9-10, 1967, dedication actually falls on Tuesday andWednesday.
Tim Barnes is a science education specialist at NCAR and has been working there for 22 years. He knows most of its 270,000 square feet intimately, with one of his duties being to serve as a tour guide for its visitors, who typically number about 100,000 per year.
“This is Boulder,” Barnes said. “This is one of the things that makes Boulder unique.
“I think it’s an integral part of the city’s identity. I can’t tell you how many people I have spoken to, who have lived here 25 years, who love the space, who really appreciate its impact and howbeautiful it is — and they have no idea what goes on inside.”
Science that pushes humans’ understanding of the world they live in, and the ever-changing dynamics of the atmosphere that influences the way they live — and will continue to survive on the planet— is what has been happening there, fulfilling the vision of its founder and longtime director, the late Walter Orr Roberts.
Roberts initially came west in 1940 to operate Harvard’s High Altitude Obser- vatory inClimax, located in Lake County. It was after Roberts joined the newly created Department of Astro-Geophysics at the University of Colorado that he subsequently was named the first president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the founding director of NCAR, which would place its flagship home on amesa Roberts could see from his Boulder residence.
NCAR’s origin story is inevitably entwined with its architectural creator — Ieoh Ming Pei, the legendary Chinese-American architect who was retained for the job in July 1961.
Pei turned 100 years old on April 26, and his status as aworld-renowned architect whose progressive style has left amark around the globe was enhanced by his creation of NCAR’sMesa Laboratory.