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Downtown Dreams Will Come True

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By ELLEN GEDALIUS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2007

Tampa residents have heard about these projects for years: the Children's Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Tampa Bay History Center and the redesigned Curtis Hixon Park. Now they are finally taking shape. The city council is expected this week to approve a land lease deal with the Children's Museum, as well as design and construction contracts for Curtis Hixon Park. A construction crane is set to arrive at the site of the history center today. And the art museum is expected to get a guaranteed maximum price for the new building before the end of the year. One thing is certain: Tampa will be under construction as it welcomes visitors to the 2009 Super Bowl.

1. TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART: After years of planning and false starts, the Tampa Museum of Art has a design for a building along the northern edge of Curtis Hixon Park. The museum will temporarily move to the Tampa Convention Center while construction is under way. Programming will continue as much as possible in the smaller space.

Groundbreaking: February

Square feet: 50,000 for phase one. A second phase could add 15,000 square feet. Long-term plans envision a building with more than 100,000 square feet.

Cost: About $27 million for phase one, including $17.5 million from the city's Community Investment Tax. The museum raised more than $8 million from the private sector. The second phase is estimated to cost an additional $8 million.

Expected completion: Summer 2009

2. CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: The Children's Museum will move from its home at Lowry Park to the northern edge of Curtis Hixon Park, next to the new art museum. The building design features bright, vibrant colors, meant to draw children inside. Exhibits will be hands-on, allowing children to row a canoe, build a house or pretend to be a physician. Key exhibits include Time Travels, Kidsport and Water's Journey.

Groundbreaking: August

Square feet: 54,000

Cost: $25 million, including land donated by the city. Money is being raised from private sources, and museum officials say they are about 50 percent through the capital campaign.

Expected opening: Fall 2009

3. CURTIS HIXON PARK: Mayor Pam Iorio hired New York City landscape architect Thomas Balsley to redesign Curtis Hixon Park. She envisions a gathering space along the Hillsborough River.

Groundbreaking: February

Acres: 12

Cost: About $15 million. The city is setting aside more than $3.6 million this year for the project, with money coming from property tax revenue generated downtown. The city plans to pay for the park with a line of credit.

Expected completion: Spring 2009

Tampa Bay History Center

4. TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER: The Tampa Bay History Center asked the Hillsborough County Commission for money for a new building in 1998. Almost 10 years later, plans are in full swing to develop a museum focusing on regional history. The new history center will be the first Hillsborough County-owned LEED-certified building, featuring a green, sustainable design.

Groundbreaking: The crane is to arrive today.

Square feet: 60,000

Cost: $19.5 million for construction, with money coming from a private fundraising campaign and Hillsborough County. The center also plans to spend about $8.3 million on exhibits.

Expected opening: December 2008

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