…Innovation

Bezos Supports Innovation at the New MOHAI

(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

“There’s something about Seattle that has made it an unusually good place to innovate, and the MOHAI Center for Innovation will help Seattle continue on that course by showcasing and teaching how industrial innovation can play an important role in human advancement,” said Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Seattle-based Amazon.com.

Today, MOHAI announced a history-making $10 million grant from Bezos (it’s the largest in the museum’s 59-year history) that will be used to establish the “Center for Innovation” at the new MOHAI opening in late fall of 2012 in the historic Naval Reserve Building (Armory) at Lake Union Park. MOHAI’s new home is just a few blocks from the new Amazon.com campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and Amazonians are expected to be frequent visitors to the new museum.

Seattle has been a center for industrial innovation for over 150 years.  From Henry Yesler’s steam-powered sawmill to the latest innovations in global heath, Seattle individuals and companies have innovated new ways to advance human life — from making flight affordable to placing a computer on every desktop to enhancing global health.

And for almost 60 years now, MOHAI has been sharing the history of the region, with a principal focus on Seattle’s innovative people and businesses. In its new museum at Lake Union Park, the museum emphasizes innovation as a key theme in Seattle history.

Leonard Garfield, MOHAI Executive Director, notes that Bezos’ gift in support of the Center for Innovation aligns perfectly with the museum’s mission and vision to continue telling the story of how Seattle companies like Boeing, Microsoft and, of course, Amazon, have played an innovative role in advancing the lives of billions of people across the planet over the decades. “Jeff is one of the leading visionaries and inventors of our time,” said Garfield. “We are fortunate to have him in our own backyard, helping continue Seattle’s renown for large-scale innovation.”

The Center for Innovation will feature exhibits, programs, research and educational activities that use remarkable Seattle examples, rare artifacts, first-person narratives, interactive experiences, and more to bring the story of innovation to life.