Dali Museum moves ahead with dome plans, as Ian topples 'Wish Tree'
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Sep 28, 2022

The Dali Museum’s famed Wish Tree was toppled by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, making way for an expansion that was already slated to take the tree’s place.

A semi-permanent dome structure will allow for projections similar to the Van Gogh Alive exhibit. It will be built in the southern part of the museum’s garden. This is Phase I in a two-part plan to expand the museum.

The Wish Tree in the garden was uprooted and fell on Wednesday due to Hurricane Ian, and a crew will remove the fallen tree as soon as possible. A museum spokesman said the tree faced several challenges over the past decade — it has fallen multiple times — and the most recent arborist review determined the tree should be removed “despite anchors to secure it.”

The downtown St. Petersburg museum plans to plant a new Wish Tree “with a more suitable root system” in the north garden.

Once built, the dome structure will provide 2,400 square feet of education and community space. It is projected to open in spring 2023 and is in the permitting phase. The structure will be 60 feet in diameter and 39 feet tall.

The museum is working with Stantec, JE Dunn and Omnispace360 to construct the dome. It will be able to display projection-mapped digital exhibitions and will also be used as a programming and community space.

The proposed permanent expansion for the museum, Phase II, will include an extension of the current building to the west — which is dependent on a November referendum as it requires a lease amendment. The estimated $55 million expansion will include 60,000 square feet of educational and community space. The estimated opening date of the expanded project is 2025.

The proposed expansion would “extend the museum’s footprint for immersive experiences that harmoniously blend art and technology, increase the education and community programming space to supplement K-12 curriculum and broaden cultural perspectives and nurture the arts evolution and growing tourism of Pinellas County,” according to the museum’s website.