FIRST LOOK: Latest Renderings Of The Saban Discovery Center

TUSCALOOSA, AL — City and state officials were on hand at the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater Wednesday morning to announce the Alabama Department of Education is throwing its support behind a new hub at the Saban Discovery Center dedicated science, technology, engineering and math education or STEM.

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As Patch reported earlier on Wednesday, the Saban Discovery Center is expected to be built around a wide range of offerings similar to Birmingham's McWane Science Center, while also bringing together community organizations such as Children's Hands-On Museum (CHOM) — rebranded as IGNITE — and the Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre.

The Tuscaloosa City Council has already committed to spending $55 million on the project, while Mayor Walt Maddox said on Wednesday that organizers had already exceeded the initial fundraising goal.

Overall, the center is expected to cost in excess of $100 million, with a projected opening date at present is the last quarter of 2026.

Here's the first renderings of the new STEM hub at the Saban Center.

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