Latest news with #MuseumofScience&History
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
After 56 years at its Southbank home, MOSH will close by summer's end. Here's what's next.
Jacksonville will go without a MOSH for a few years. The Museum of Science & History, located near Friendship Fountain on the Southbank of the St. Johns River, will close by Sept. 1. Groundbreaking for a new MOSH, across the river near EverBank Stadium, is scheduled for 2026, and construction won't be finished until 2028. 'After decades of serving the community from our current location, MOSH is embarking on a bold new chapter to create a museum that will act as both cultural institution and social destination for Northeast Florida,' said Alistair Dove, the museum's CEO. MOSH, which was formed in 1941 as the Jacksonville Children's Museum and moved from Riverside to the Southbank in 1969, will move to its new facility where Hogans Creek flows into the St. Johns River in 2028. In the meantime, MOSH will hold pop-up events and partner with other organizations for educational programs. The museum will continue to operate through the summer, including its summer camp programs. The total cost for the new facility is expected to top $100 million. The museum has raised more than $95 million for the project from private and public donors. The city committed $50 million toward the project as part of its 2025-29 capital improvement plan, with the funding spread over three years. The city has also agreed to lease the site to the museum for 40 years at a dollar a year. About 30 people work at MOSH. Some will be retained to run education programs and help catalog and store exhibits that will be moved to the new facility. 'Transformational reimagining': MOSH unveils new designs for $85 million-plus facility for downtown Jacksonville The museum announced MOSH Genesis in 2020, a plan to leave its longtime home on the Southbank and build a new facility on the downtown side of the river. CSX donated $10 million in 2024 to become the museum's title sponsor. The James E. and A. Dano Davis Family Charities and Jed and Jill Davis, from the family that built the Winn-Dixie grocery store chain, donated $1.5 million. Other private donations include $5 million from Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan; $2.5 million from VyStar Credit Union; $1.1 million from the Lastinger family, including $1 million from the St. Augustine-based Lastinger Family Foundation and $100,000 from Lindsey Lastinger Riggs and Ryan Riggs; $1 million from the Ponte Vedra Beach-based Neviaser Foundation; $500,000 from PNC Bank and a "significant contribution" from the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Foundation. Dove said projections call for up to 450,000 visitors per year to the new museum once it's opened. It will be part of a renovated Northbank that will include the USS Orleck warship, a Jacksonville fire museum, parkland and Shad Khan's Shipyards West development, plus more than a billion dollars of improvements to EverBank Stadium. MOSH 2.0 will have almost twice the space as the current facility, in a three-floor, 100,000-square-foot building. Exhibits are to use aspects of the St. Johns River as a navigation guide for visitors, beginning with a two-story water feature representing the 27-foot drop from the St. Johns' headwaters in Indian River County to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Jacksonville. Then guests will follow "pathways that mimic the river's role in connecting the region" interspersed with collections and content "islands" showcasing the area's "nature, innovation and culture," according to MOSH. The Southbank building is owned by the city and leased to the museum. The lease permits MOSH to continue to occupy the building for a year after closing, after which the property will revert to the city for redevelopment. This story was updated to add a video. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: MOSH, Jacksonville's science museum, will close in September 2025
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MOSH to close by September as new location nears construction
The Museum of Science & History (MOSH) in Jacksonville announced Friday that it will be closing its current doors to the public this summer for good. This is not the end for MOSH, however, with a new museum location on the way. According to officials, construction will begin on MOSH Genesis on the Northbank in 2026, before a projected grand opening in Summer 2028. MOSH has operated at its current location on the Southbank since 1969. Related: Visitors concerned about outdated exhibits at MOSH as design deadline pushed for new building >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'After decades of serving the community from our current location, MOSH is embarking on a bold new chapter to create a museum that will act as both a cultural institution and social destination for Northeast Florida,' said Dr. Alistair Dove, CEO of MOSH. 'As one of the largest museum development projects in America today, the new Museum will become a defining regional landmark that fuels civic pride and inspires lifelong learning.' The new MOSH is just one piece of the city's investment in the Northbank shipyards and throughout Downtown Jacksonville. MOSH predicts the new location, which has earned more than $95 million in public and private support, will nearly triple its annual visitation. Read: Jacksonville asked to double its contribution for proposed UF campus [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'MOSH is part of a bigger transformation taking place across the Northbank shipyards. A new culture and entertainment hub will emerge with projects like the Stadium of the Future, the Four Seasons development and the Emerald Trail expansion reshaping the riverfront,' the museum said Friday. After closing this year, MOSH plans to continue serving the community with pop-up experiences, partnerships, and education events throughout the city. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Visitors concerned about outdated exhibits at MOSH as design deadline pushed for new building
The deadline for the final design of the long-awaited new Museum of Science & History has been pushed back to late October, though museum leaders insist the project is still on schedule to open in three years. However, MOSH visitors are raising concerns about the outdated state of the museum. 'It's pretty old and outdated. I don't want to go there. It's no fun,' said visitor Chanell Jones. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< 'It's definitely old. You can tell it needs some updating,' said visitor Willie Coleman. Chanell Jones is one of the visitors describing the conditions at the Museum of Science & History. She says she stopped bringing her family here because of what she considers outdated exhibits and the museum's worn-out appearance. 'It definitely needs some updates,' said Jones. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] According to MOSH, a recent revision to the new museum's planning and construction schedule has affected the deadline for the final design, which is now set for Oct. 31 of this year. MOSH has operated at its current location on the Southbank since 1969. Last year, MOSH announced that the City of Jacksonville would provide $50 million in funding for the construction of a new museum. The money is set to be provided over three years through the City's Capital Improvement Plan. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'It would be a great experience for them to have a new location for the kids to enjoy and have some fun,' said Jones. We asked MOSH about the current conditions mentioned by the visitors we spoke with, but we did not receive a direct response to those questions. MOSH did tell us that the project's completion is still on track for July 31, 2028. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
