Daniel Kamin has always been fascinated by science, particularly the vastness of space.
As a kid, the Pittsburgh native would take regular trips to the Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, which dates to 1939 and is now known as the Carnegie Science Center. Mr. Kamin even built his own telescope that his wife, Carole Kamin, recently found alongside a photo of the moon he took with its help in 1957.
With five-plus decades at the helm of Kamin Realty Management LLC, Mr. Kamin has made a habit of giving back to the many Western Pennsylvania cultural institutions that still hold a special place in his heart.
What the Science Center announced that Mr. Kamin did for it during a Tuesday news conference at the North Shore museum, though, was a truly breathtaking display of generosity.
Bigwigs from both the Science Center and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh — the consortium of four local museums that includes the Science Center — were on hand alongside the Kamins as they announced the $65 million gift given to them by the Shadyside-based couple.
That’s by far the largest monetary donation to the Science Center since its founding in 1991, according to Jason Brown, the Science Center’s Henry Buhl Jr. director and Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s vice president. It’s also the biggest gift received by any entity within the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh since Andrew Carnegie’s original 1895 contribution, according to CMOP president and CEO Steven Knapp.
Going forward, the museum that has borne Mr. Carnegie’s name will be known as the Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center. It will still remain a part of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, according to Mr. Brown.
“It’s extraordinary generosity,” Mr. Knapp told the Post-Gazette following Tuesday’s announcement. “They also share a vision that we are very much a part of. We’re just honored to be part of their vision for how they want to build up the city that we all love.”
Mr. Kamin grew up near Forbes Field in Oakland and began his entrepreneurial journey selling $1 parking spaces for Pirates games. His grandfather, Herman Kamin, founded Kamin Realty in 1916 as a home development business, according to the company’s website.
He began dabbling in real estate during his time at Harvard Business School and officially took over the family business following the death of his father, Harry Kamin, in 1967.
Kamin Realty now manages “over 400 properties across 44 states and Puerto Rico,” per its website. Mr. Kamin put the kind of wealth he has amassed over the years in perspective by casually mentioning in a conversation following Tuesday’s announcement that he “bought a Wegmans two weeks ago,” referring to the supermarket chain.
Ms. Kamin, an emeritus member of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s advisory board, came into his life about a year after she first came to Pittsburgh. She once worked as a buyer and manager for the shops at both the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Museum of Art.
Though the Kamin name is less ubiquitous around Pittsburgh than Mr. Carnegie’s, it occasionally appears in places such as the Daniel G. Kamin and Carole L. Kamin Fund, which the couple started in 2011 through The Pittsburgh Foundation.
They also endowed the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s director position for $5 million in 2016. Gretchen Baker currently holds the title of the museum’s Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin director.
“I’m typically low profile,” Mr. Kamin told the Post-Gazette. “That’s shifted. I feel kind of funny about this.”
Mr. Kamin, who was still recovering from a recent hospital stay, took the Science Center stage in front of a rendering of the “Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin Science Center” sign that Mr. Brown said the Science Center has two years to install. He talked about his respect for the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and other local cultural landmarks as he stood next to his childhood telescope and a blown-up version of his moon photo.
Ms. Kamin said that “the timing was right” for them to give the Science Center a gift of this magnitude.
“We believe in Jason,” Mr. Kamin added.”That connection has made a big difference. … I’d rather give money to the Science Center than the government.”
Mr. Brown said he was first introduced to Mr. Kamin about five years ago and described both Kamins as “incredibly friendly, welcoming and gracious people.” He explained that this $65 million donation and the Science Center’s new name all came about in the last two weeks.
Fewer than 10 people within the Science Center knew that multi-million-dollar detail prior to Tuesday’s announcement, according to Mr. Brown, so many were “finding out in real time” along with everyone else who showed up wondering what would be revealed during this mysterious press conference.
It turned out to be, as Mr. Brown put it, “a major transformation” for the Science Center that will allow them to remain on the North Shore in perpetuity and heavily “invest in things for our visitor experience and things for our staff experience.”
“We have always worked to make sure we can move forward and innovate,” he said. “But we’ve always been constrained. I feel like when this gift is fully realized, we won’t have those same constraints. We’ll be able to be and do everything we want to be and do.”
Mr. Knapp lauded the Kamins’ Science Center donation as a “tremendous shot in the arm for our city and our region.”
Mr. Kamin teased that there’s still “one more big thing coming this year” for another lucky Pittsburgh cultural organization in addition to the sum he has committed to the Science Center.
Though it was far too early for anyone to say for sure how the money will be allocated, Ms. Kamin assured everyone that she and her husband have total faith that Science Center leadership will use it to improve an already beloved Western Pennsylvania landmark.
“Keep on coming here!” she urged. “You’re going to see so many changes in the years to come. You’re going to be proud of what Jason is going to do for you and the people of Pittsburgh.”
Ciara McEneany contributed to this report.
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
This story has been updated to indicate Daniel Kamin’s father was Harry Kamin and his grandfather was Herman Kamin.
First Published: January 23, 2024, 7:33 p.m.
Updated: January 24, 2024, 2:24 p.m.
