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Nairobi: point zero and a 1950 collections move
The National Museums of Kenya calls the Nairobi Gallery’s roundabout location “Kenya’s point zero,” the place from which, it says, distances across the country were once measured. A botany-department timeline records the collections’ move to Nairobi in 1950.
At a glance
- Point zero
- The point from which, NMK says, distances across Kenya were once measured, at Nairobi Gallery’s location[2]
- Gallery plan
- An octagonal central hall beneath a dome, with rooms in two wings, according to NMK[2]
- East African Herbarium
- The herbarium’s plant holdings exceed one million preserved specimens, NMK reports.[3]
A place worth remembering
What “point zero” means at Nairobi Gallery
Nairobi Gallery is beside the roundabout where Kenyatta Avenue meets Uhuru Highway. The National Museums of Kenya calls the site “Kenya’s point zero,” the place from which, it says, distances across the whole country were once measured.[2]
An octagonal hall beneath a dome
The gallery’s central room is octagonal and lies beneath a dome. NMK’s description also places rooms in two wings and calls the exterior Victorian.[2]
A 1950 move for the botany collections
An NMK timeline dates the collections’ transfer to Nairobi to 1950 and records their merger with Coryndon Memorial Museum. The department reports that the East African Herbarium’s preserved plant collection exceeds one million specimens.[3]
Good to know
A few clear answers before you explore.
What does the museum mean by Kenya’s “point zero”?
NMK uses the name for Nairobi Gallery’s location at the roundabout, from which it says distances across the whole country were once measured.[2]
What does the Nairobi Gallery interior include?
The museum describes a central octagonal hall beneath a dome, with rooms in two wings.[2]
What does the botany timeline record for 1950?
Collections moved to Nairobi and merged with Coryndon Memorial Museum, now NMK.[3]
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