[3][4] The collection was originally curated by Mr. David P Wheatland in his office to prevent obsolete equipment from being cannibalized for its component parts and materials.

This permanent display can be found in the Putnam Gallery on the first floor of the Harvard Science Center, which is free and open to the public during regularly scheduled hours, Sunday through Friday.

[1] The physical facilities in the Science Center were expanded in 2004, by replacing a one-story wing of the building with a four-story "townhouse"-style structure with offices, classrooms, and a fully-glazed internal stairway.

The modifications to the Science Center (originally by Josep Lluís Sert) were designed by Leers Weinzapfel Associates of Boston.

Other highlights of the permanent exhibit include a fine assemblage of sundials (part of the largest private collection in North America)[citation needed], a geometrical compass designed by Galileo Galilei, and the control console from the former Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory.