JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The City of Jacksonville got its first view of what the Museum of Science & History's Northbank location could look like if plans are approved.
Representatives from MOSH gave a presentation to the City of Jacksonville Downtown Investment Authority's Strategic Implementation Committee Thursday morning. The presentation included a rendering labeled "for illustrative purposes only" of the museum's vision for 'MOSH Genesis, a destination for lifelong learning.'
Last month, MOSH announced plans to build a new facility at the Downtown Jacksonville Shipyards property rather than renovate and expand its current Southbank location. The museum had announced plans for an $80 million 'MOSH 2.0' upgrade in 2019 for its 50-year-old campus near the Friendship Fountain.
In addition to renderings of what the exterior and interior of the new location could look like, the presentation included benefits for moving the museum to the proposed Northbank site:
- Resilience design incorporated.
- Provides direct access and visibility along the river.
- Would be part of the existing Sports & Entertainment District and connected to the Emerald Trail Greenway.
- Would provide far greater dedicated parking spaces.
- New build would eliminate the need to close MOSH for +/- 2 years.
- New construction would provide greater flexibility in programming -- more appropriate for modern museum.
- Enhanced capacity to host and present large-scale exhibitions.
- Provides opportunity for MOSH expansion well into the future.
- Already creating momentum with Capital Campaign efforts.
Some of the other components of the presentation included photos of a section labeled "Building Skills for Workforce Development" (below).
Other slides showed concept art for an Experiential Learning section of the museum, including a walk-through aquifer and water quality biolab.
The presentation indicated MOSH's goals for its new location include:
- Public gathering space for lifelong learning and experiential education.
- Immersive digital experiences and learning experiences shaping 21st Century job skills for tomorrow's workforce.
- Dynamic platforms for learning to engage students, families and adults.
- Dedicated space for early STEAM learning.
- Designed to model resiliency along the Riverfront.
"MOSH will further its status as a regional destination on the Northbank of Downtown Jacksonville," the presentation said.
Preliminary design and construction projections for the museum's new location indicate a 2024 opening.
You can view the full presentation below.
