A branch of the Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences (MAAS), the Powerhouse is connected to a lineage of grand exhibitions that celebrated science and industry in the 19th century. Plans for a permanent exhibition of industrial and technological innovations in the Garden Palace, constructed in the Royal Botanic Gardens for the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, were thwarted when the building was destroyed by fire prior to opening the new institution in 1882. In 1893 the salvaged collection became the Technology Museum, and over the next century the collection expanded to include decorative arts, science, communication, computer, and space technology, providing strong connections to community.