Brady PieperNortheastern Florida residents and tourists will have a new and improved attraction to visit in 2027. The City of Jacksonville, in Florida, is committing $50 million over the next three years to support the relocation and construction of a new Museum of Science & History (MOSH).
The MOSH has operated in its current location on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville since 1969. First chartered in 1941, the MOSH provides residents and tourists with a rotation of exhibits featuring Atlantic tales, Floridian history, space and a planetarium, cultural works, kid-centric education and more.
The new state-of-the-art facility will significantly expand its capacity, provide more opportunities for educational programs and further community building and engagement in the region. Migrating the facility from its downtown location, MOSH will develop the new facility alongside the St. Johns River, revamping an otherwise unutilized area.
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“MOSH is proud to be one of the signature projects poised to transform the Shipyards area of Downtown,” MOSH CEO Dr. Al Dove says in a press release. “Formalizing this next phase of our partnership with the City of Jacksonville reinforces our shared commitment to seeing the new MOSH proceed with development.”
Securing funding from state, public and private entities, MOSH will now utilize funding from the city of Jacksonville to expedite the project. The funding, ratified on the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) in September, will enable MOSH to direct at least $85 million toward the design and construction of the new facility.
Outgrowing its current iteration, the MOSH’s new facility will expand the space for the museum to operate from 33,000 square feet to approximately 130,000 square feet across three floors.
Some other key features of the new facility and location include a visitor navigation guide using the St. Johns River as a key, a two-story water feature representing the 27-foot drop from St. Johns’ headwaters to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean and various improvements and upgrades showcasing the region’s history, nature and culture.
Construction on the new MOSH facility is expected to begin in 2025. Officials anticipate the facility will be open to the public starting in 2027.
Funding for the MOSH’s new facility began in 2020 with the MOSH Genesis capital campaign. To accomplish MOSH’s funding goal, the museum pursued several collaborative avenues, including public, private, corporate, state and local funding opportunities and donations.
Earlier this year, the state of Florida committed $5 million to the museum construction project. Additionally on the private investment side, CSX invested $10 million to MOSH’s endeavor.
Photo courtesy PicoOrdinalo
