Picture of the future development for the Woodson African American Museum of Florida. Courtesy of the Woodson.
After a 6-month renovation, the Woodson African American Museum of Florida reopens its doors.
It is celebrating 20 years and getting an exciting $10 million birthday gift.
The proposal for the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District announced in July includes a new home for The Woodson. The museum would sit where Tropicana Fields currently stands.
According to the museum’s executive director Terri Lipsey Scott, the current building is not big enough.
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“We can not contain African American history in a four thousand square foot space,” Scott said. “We are looking forward to the journey ahead, and exemplifying the essence and excellence of Black history.”
Before the museum opened its doors to showcase the Smithsonian exhibit “Many Voices, One Nation – Our Community,” local representatives and leaders addressed the crowd outside. St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said this is only a stepping stone for The Woodson, reminding visitors, family, neighbors and others, “it is not time to pause, It has been forty years of promises.”
“…We have not only asked, but we have demanded that this community remember the promises made when the Historic Gas Plant was taken away,” Welch said. “And that the history of this community be remembered with a new and dedicated African American History Museum on the Historic Gas Plant site.”
The final decision on the new redevelopment bid is still subject to City Council’s approval, according to the mayor’s website.
A piece from the Smithsonian exhibit: “Many Voices, One Nation: Our Community.” It is the exhibit with which the Woodson African American Museum reopened its doors after a six-month renovation. Photo by Julia Saad.
The new exhibit includes two large murals, portraying African American icons painted in bright colors, on opposite sides of the room.
The interior walls are covered with text and picture panels, sharing some of the most impactful paths drawn by Black Americans throughout Florida’s history.
Displayed in the far center of the garden, with her right hand in the air, Harriet Tubman’s sculpture stands strong. Visitors can follow her journey by stopping at several plaques sharing Tubman’s stories, or by scanning a QR code.
“Undeniably, African American history is American history,” Scott said. “We look forward to what the future holds and we take great pride in telling the story, unadulterated.”
The Woodson museum is open on Tuesdays from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m., Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Smithsonian exhibit will remain at Woodson through January 2027.