Tampa Museum of Art's $68M expansion will change the face of the Riverwalk
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 8, 2021

The Tampa Museum of Art is planning a $68 million expansion — one that will change the dynamic of its position along the Tampa Riverwalk.

The expansion includes a crystalline, four-story structure that will add 51,000 square feet to the museum. It's slated for completion in 2024 and comes on the heels of a large-scale renovation that kicked off in January.

Beyond the new crystalline structure, the expansion includes several major exterior improvements — many of which will tie into the experience along the Tampa Riverwalk. The museum said the improvements include new landscaped public access points along Cass Street, creating a seamless transition with pedestrian plazas between the public park spaces adjacent to the Riverwalk, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and two new dog parks.

The museum’s board of trustees, the foundation board of directors and other community supporters, museum patrons and members have privately funded more than 80% of the $80 million budget for the current renovations and future expansion.

"The lead gift toward the total $100 million campaign to expand the museum’s facilities and invest in the museum’s endowment is a matching gift from a community stakeholder who hopes to encourage other stakeholders to participate in growing Tampa’s cultural legacy," according to a news release from the museum.

The museum's redevelopment of Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park — which includes work on new pedestrian plazas and refurbishment of pedestrian walkways on Cass Street — has been funded by the downtown Community Redevelopment Area fund. CRAs are state-designated areas in which all tax revenue generated must be reinvested within the boundaries of the CRA. Hillsborough County will provide a grant to fund some of the improvements as well.

New York-based Weiss/Manfredi

Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism is designing the expansion and current renovation of the existing museum building. Weiss/Manfredi also designed Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center and the Baker Museum at Artis-Naples.

The museum's expansion is the third major improvement planned along the Riverwalk. Just across West Cass Street from the museum, the David A. Straz Jr. Center for Performing Arts is planning a redevelopment of its riverfront property, and construction is underway at the Tampa Convention Center to open its boxy facade to the water.

The Riverwalk has become the city's central spine, a draw for both visitors and residents. While it's a popular place, it's also in need of activation, and those investments will help elevate the Riverwalk beyond a waterfront exercise trail.

"The expansion will particularly benefit art in publicly accessible spaces, in special event spaces, corridors, outdoor sculpture terraces, rooftop terraces, as well as outside on sites redeveloped for public sculpture and convening," according to a news release from the museum.

Here's a breakdown of everything the museum's expansion will include:

Expand the museum’s gross area from 69,000 to 125,000 square feet

Expand the education space from 1,400 to more than 12,000 square feet, including the addition of a new auditorium and education wing with four classrooms, a lobby, orientation spaces and a secure entrance, allowing the museum to quadruple the number of students it serves per year from 6,000 to 24,000. Culinary arts classes on the third-floor rooftop will also be added to the education program.

The exhibition and collection space will expand from 14,800 to more than 43,000 square feet. This enhances the viewing experience with five additional galleries, a renovated sculpture gallery, a flexible multimedia gallery space and an art exhibition program within the special events ballroom.

12,000 square feet will be dedicated to a new covered entrance, lobby, gift shop and café

Event space will triple from 7,200 to 25,600 square feet, giving it capacity to host 500-person dinners and other big events