Massive whale structure returns to Lawrence Hall of Science

BERKELEY, Calif. - A popular attraction at the Lawrence Hall of Science is back at the museum after being refurbished and repainted.

Pheena the Whale was sculpted by artist Larry Foster, in 1975, with funding from the World Wildlife Fund and has been a fixture outside the front entrance of the Lawrence Hall of Science in the Berkeley hills, ever since.

Since May, Pheena has been at the Svedsen's Bay Marin boatyard in Point Richmond, undergoing repairs. The 50 foot long, 3,000-pound fiberglass sculpture needed to be sanded down, refinished and repainted.

"As it turns out, Pheena's not that dissimilar from a boat. Boats are made out of fiberglass which is the same material Pheena's made of," said Adam Frost, spokesperson for the Lawrence Hall of Science. "I remember when we brought her, they said she's basically an upside-down boat."

On Tuesday morning, the popular sculpture was loaded onto a flatbed truck to make the journey up the narrow, windy roads to be returned to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Just before noon, it was carefully hoisted off the truck and secured in its usual spot at the museum entrance.

For more than four decades, generations of kids have climbed on, jumped off, and played on the life-sized whale sculpture.

"Kids from all over the area come for field trips, or they come with their families. Pheena's the first thing they see when they come to the plaza," Frost said. "We like to say science learning begins even before you come into the building, and Pheena's a big part of that."

After months of being closed because of COVID restrictions, the Lawrence Hall of Science has begun the reopening process. 

Outdoor exhibits are open this summer, and they are planning to reopen all their exhibits indoors in October. 

The Lawrence Hall of Science has worked to repair, repaint and update many of its indoor exhibits during the pandemic closures.