ST. PETERSBURG \u2014 The Dal\u00ed Museum recently announced plans for a $65 million expansion it says will serve the community, fuel education and strengthen the city. The new addition to the museum will feature state-of-the-art immersive experiences to engage and uplift visitors, according to the museum.<\/p>\n
The approximately 35,000-square-foot expansion represents an investment in the museum\u2019s future. Funding includes support from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater through its \u201cFrom Visitors with Love\u201d program, which uses tourist development tax (hotel bed tax) funds. The project is expected to get underway with a fall 2026 groundbreaking. The Dal\u00ed will remain open during construction. The expanded spaces should open in 2028.<\/p>\n
Hank Hine, executive director of The Dal\u00ed Museum, said that this is a defining moment for the museum and for St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are creating a museum that will stand with the great cultural institutions of the world, prepared to meet the expectations of today\u2019s visitors and the curiosity of those who will walk through these doors decades from now,\u201d Hine said. \u201cIt\u2019s not about being bigger; it\u2019s about being bolder. For more than four decades, The Dal\u00ed has led through innovation, empowering visitors to see differently and think expansively. This next chapter allows us to move beyond existing limitations and create space, intellectually and physically, for deeper learning, more ambitious experiences and broader access.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dal\u00ed opened in 1982 in a repurposed marine warehouse on Third Street South. Following the debut of its landmark new home in 2011, the museum generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for the area. The Dal\u00ed Museum \u2014 at 1 Dal\u00ed Blvd. in St. Petersburg \u2014 stands as a global destination for interdisciplinary programming, innovation and scholarship. Since its opening, the Dal\u00ed has welcomed and inspired more than 10 million visitors.<\/p>\n
The Beck Group, which built the museum\u2019s current building, is designing and constructing the new expansion. During the design of the expansion, Beck Architecture consulted with Yann Weymouth, architect of the museum\u2019s award-winning building, to ensure continuity across the institution.<\/p>\n
Elements included in the expansion design include:<\/p>\n
\u2022 A new exterior<\/p>\n
\u2022 Flexible gallery environments for experiential exhibitions that blend art and technology<\/p>\n
\u2022 A dedicated learning center serving K-12 students and lifelong learners<\/p>\n
\u2022 Community-focused spaces designed to support, host and animate social, corporate and cultural events.<\/p>\n
Together with the museum\u2019s existing galleries, theater, dome and Avant-garden, the addition will create a dynamic campus that reflects how guests engage with art today and in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt The Dal\u00ed, we\u2019ve always believed a museum should do more than preserve the past \u2014 it should ignite imagination, guide the present and shape the future,\u201d Hine stated at DaliMuseumExpansion.org<\/a>, a website detailing the vision and future of The Dal\u00ed\u2019s expansion. The website offers project renderings and images.<\/p>\n