Holocaust museum in St. Petersburg sets a reopening date
ST. PETERSBURG — The Florida Holocaust Museum, which closed last July for major renovations, is going to reopen to the public on Sept. 9.
The museum at 55 Fifth St. S. in downtown St. Petersburg was founded in 1992 and is one of the largest such museums in the United States — and a leader in getting Holocaust studies added to Florida public school curriculum.
Once it reopens, there will be a new entrance and larger gallery that will include the Danish fishing boat Thor that was brought to the museum in December to add to its permanent display. The 80-year-old boat was part of a remarkable story in 1943, when with just a few hours notice, a flotilla of 300 Danish boats — everything from kayaks and rowboats to cargo vessels and fishermen — showed up to rescue Jews and take them to neutral Sweden.
The boat will be on display next to the longstanding exhibit of a railroad boxcar, one of the few remaining types used by the Nazis to transport Jews and other prisoners.
The renovation project will also include a new entrance with enhanced security features, a second-story balcony and a temporary installation of the Elie Wiesel collection. The museum was chosen as the permanent home of author Elie Wiesel's entire collection, including his Nobel Prize and the entire contents of his personal office.
Museum officials are planning reopening events later this summer before the Sept. 9 reopening.
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