As divestment looms, the Johnson Geo Centre remains a St. John’s cultural staple

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeAtlantic CanadaNewfoundland & LabradorNewfoundland And Labrador LifestyleNews As divestment looms, the Johnson Geo Centre remains a St. John’s cultural staple NL's "premiere science centre" scheduled to close in December 2026 as MUN divests properties; advocates say it's a big loss to St. John's Author of the article: By Nicholas Mercer Published Sep 01, 2026 4 minute read The Johnson GEO Centre PHOTO BY KEITH GOSSE/THE TELEGRAM Article content When tourists travel to St. John’s, chances are they’re coming to experience the city’s history and get a load of its scenic views. Article content At the intersection of those two interests lies the Johnson Geo Centre, the province’s premier science centre, located near Cabot Tower. Article content Article content Carved into Signal Hill, the Geo Centre offers the chance to see what lies beneath the city’s surface. Patrons will see the rock the province is built upon, the story of oil exploration and a model version of the famous Canadarm. Article content Article content There’s even a video of famed NL actor Gordon Pinsent explaining how glaciers work. Article content For Destination St. John’s, it’s an integral part of what they market when it comes to visiting the province’s capital city. Article content “It’s probably one of many pillars. It’s one of those things that we lean on as something else that people can do when they’re in the St. John’s region,” said Destination St. John’s CEO Paul Bugge. Article content The late Gordon Pinsent lives on at the Johnson Geo Centre through his involvement in some promotional videos for various exhibits. PHOTO BY NICHOLAS MERCER/THE TELEGRAM Article content Anticipated divestment Article content The future of the Geo Centre is in limbo after Memorial University announced last winter it was divesting the property, which was donated to the university by the Johnson Family Foundation in 2019. Article content It’s a part of a bigger decision by Memorial University to move on from some of its properties as it aims to shrink its size. Article content In February 2026, the university announced that, along with the Geo Centre, it would also be closing the Harlow Campus in the UK, the Signal Hill Campus and the Ingstad Building in St. John’s. Article content At the time, MUN said selling these properties would draw the university closer to its…