“Museums are the mark of a sophisticated community. The site is just east of the Jacksonville Fire Museum and Pier 1, the home of the USS Orleck naval ship museum. The Downtown Investment Authority Board approved the allocation of 2.5 acres for the new museum near the Shipyards along East Bay Street, along with 4.7 acres for a riverwalk and park space. Plans for the new Museum comprise approximately 100,000 square feet across three floors, with the option to build a future expansion of an additional 30,000 square feet, MOSH said. MOSH has operated in its current location on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville since 1969 but has outgrown its 77,000-square-foot facility. The new MOSH will continue that tradition on a larger scale, using modern design and technology to deliver an exceptional visitor experience,” MOSH CEO Bruce Fafard said in a news release. “For more than 80 years, MOSH has welcomed curiosity and inspired the joy of lifelong learning. The Neviaser Foundation donated $1 million to the campaign last week. MOSH says many potential individual donors have told the museum the property had to be nailed down before they would make financial commitments. MOSH recently expanded its development team, including the appointment of a Chief Development Officer Maureen Mercho, previously chief development officer for United Way of Northeast Florida. So far, it has raised more than $36 million - $20 million from the city of Jacksonville’s Capital Improvement Plan and $16 million in private donations through the MOSH Genesis capital campaign. MOSH is required to raise $40 million toward the project by Dec. “We have got to stop expecting taxpayers to pay for everything,” Cumber said. She believes the project should be entirely privately funded. LeAnna Cumber was the only council member to vote against the plan Tuesday, over the amount of public money involved. The city will reimburse the museum up to $800,000 for the park design. Philip Randolph Boulevard will be extended to reach the site. The Jacksonville City Council agreed Tuesday to lease city land to the museum for 40 years at $1 per year.Ī public park also will be built surrounding the museum, and the Northbank Riverwalk and A. The presentation released Wednesday didn’t include a proposed timetable for a Northbank groundbreaking.The Museum of Science & History has lined up the land it needs for a new $100 million museum on the Northbank. The previous Southbank expansion plan set a goal of breaking ground in 2023. Plans for a Northbank move aren’t far enough along to have cost estimates yet, but MOSH has set a goal of raising $20 million for its expansion. The Shipyards is across from the Maxwell House coffee plant on Bay Street, while Metropolitan Park is across the street from TIAA Bank Field on Gator Bowl Boulevard. That's because the Downtown Investment Authority is waiting for the National Park Service to decide if the city can swap Metropolitan Park for Shipyards property to satisfy the requirements of a 1981 grant agreement that prohibits selling the 24.7-acre park without a comparable replacement, the Record reported. WJCT News partner the Jacksonville Daily Record reported last month the city-owned Shipyards is not immediately available for MOSH - or anyone - to develop. The current museum is 77,000 square feet plans would increase its size to about 120,000 square feet.Įarlier this year, MOSH announced a $2.5 million donation from VyStar Credit Union to go toward interactive exhibits, along with two other sizable donations.īut MOSH's Northbank move is far from certain. The museum’s leadership has been working toward expanding the museum for years. MOSH’s leadership cited factors such as the proposed Lot J development nearby at the sports complex and the fact that a new building would eliminate the need to close the MOSH for approximately two years during construction. The museum previously planned to renovate and expand its existing Southbank location next to Friendship Fountain but said recent developments made it clear an alternate Northbank site location at the Shipyards is worth pursuing. ADAPT: WJCT's Digital Magazine About Sea Level Rise.Johns River from its current location.ĭuring a presentation to the Downtown Investment Authority’s Strategic Implementation Committee, the MOSH released a rendering – for illustrative purposes only – that gives a further glimpse into the museum’s latest vision.Īt the top of the list of Northbank site benefits listed in the presentation: MOSH officials said resilience would be incorporated into the design.Īs awareness of sea level rise grows, museum leadership is planning safeguards against the inherent risk of building next to the river. On Wednesday the Museum of Science and History unveiled a new illustration of its planned facility across the St.
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