Polk Museum of Art plans multimillion-dollar expansion
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 4, 2022

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion that will more than triple its gallery space.

The museum, at 800 E. Palmetto St. in Lakeland, is adding 10,000 square feet of gallery, classroom and art laboratory space to its 38,000-square-foot property. The main gallery is currently 3,200 square feet. Only a fraction of its 2,800 artworks can be displayed at any one time, the museum said in a news release.

The expansion is slated to cost $6 million, and construction will begin later this year. It will be complete in spring 2024.

The expansion comes as Lakeland, particularly its downtown, is experiencing a cultural renaissance, with new bars and restaurants opening in the downtown core.

"This expansion sets the stage for the museum's status as a world-class academic museum, a community institution that serves students and our citizens," Lynda Buck, chair of the museum's board of directors, said in a statement.

The two-story addition will be located on the northwest side of the building, which was completed in 1988. The expansion features a "sleek design," the museum said, to modernize the building's facade. The investment will also include a renovation of the museum's entrance, new flooring throughout the first floor, and an update to the second-floor galleries, classrooms and office spaces.

The museum has 15 full-time employees and an annual budget of $1.7 million in the 2022 fiscal year. It averages 140,000 annual visitors.