The Halls of Science

The A.C. Gilbert Company operated 3 Gilbert Halls of Science.   The first and Largest was located in New York City at 5th Ave. and 25th Street.  Additional Halls of Science were located in Chicago, at 512 S. Michigan Ave. (In the Congress Hotel), and in Washington D.C., at 1610 K Street N.W..  In Miami, Florida, a 4th "Hall of Science" at 300 East Flagler Street was operated by Leroy Jahn, a friend of A.C. Gilbert.  A.C. sent layout builder Frank Castiglione to build a display layout there, but it was an ordinary display layout.  Jahn's friendship with A.C. Gilbert was probably the reason he was allowed to advertise his store as the "Miami Hall of Science. 1 

The biggest attraction of these Halls of Science were the layouts, which were the largest American Flyer layouts of their day.    The ultimate layouts of which dreams were made.  During the time that the New York Hall of Science was in operation from 1941 to 1958, there were a succession of layouts on the first floor, which were open to the public.  There was also a huge one on the second floor that was used by the sales staff to promote sales to major buyers.    It was also used for advertising and promotional purposes but was not open to the public.

Notes

(1)  The Marvelous American Flyer Display Layouts, by Roger Carp - Classic Toy Trains, August 1992, page 57.