As early as 1996, the Chemical Heritage Foundation had envisioned a broadly-based museum of chemical progress in which instruments would have "a major, but not exclusive role". That  vision was followed when Peter Saylor of Dagit•Saylor Architects created the public museum and conference space. The Arnold O. Beckman Permanent Exhibit and the Clifford C. Hach Gallery for rotating exhibitions  opened in 2008.    The Arnold O. Beckman permanent exhibition, Making Modernity, was designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates.  It has been described as an "art gallery for science", and showcases objects from the institutions widely varying collections. "The instruments are only a fraction of the objects on display.  The exhibition also includes books, documents, and artwork from CHFs collection, as well as an array of consumer products."  The exhibition is organized around thematic arcs illustrative of the history of science, particularly chemistry. Displays include the influence of alchemy in early chemistry, the development of the first plastics, the development of brilliantly colored synthetic dyes, scientific advocacy for public health in the 19th and 20th centuries, and the teaching of chemistry through books and chemistry sets.