JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Out with the old and in with the new in Jacksonville’s urban core, at least as it pertains to the old Museum of Science and History (MOSH) property.
City officials outlined plans for the site at Jacksonville City Hall on Monday morning, outlining that it’d cost roughly $1.5 million to renovate the space, so it’s likely headed instead for demolition.
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“We definitely don’t wanna put $1.5 million into that building,” Jacksonville City Councilman Jimmy Peluso said. “I think ultimately, it’s gonna get demolished whenever a developer comes in and has a plan and everything. So that would be a little bit my preference.”
However, city leaders did say Monday they’re looking to maintain and simply repurpose other downtown landmarks, like the old Snyder Memorial Church property on Laura Street.
“We’d love to see it be a restaurant, music, entertainment, something that people could go to and enjoy,” Downtown Investment Authority CEO Colin Tarbert said Monday. “It’s a cool building with great interior space. We’d much prefer that over a conversion into apartments or if its only a private office building.”
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While its future use is still to be determined, DIA officials also mentioned they’re looking ahead to the potential of the grass fields next to the riverfront Hyatt, continuing to reshape downtown into an epicenter of retail, dining, recreation and entertainment.
“That was only focused on residential, as well as ground floor retail and parking,” Harbert said. “I think we’re gonna look at a variety of mixed uses.”
City leaders said the future use of the old MOSH site and Snyder Memorial Church are expected to come more into focus with RFPs and solicitations in 2026.
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