Tampa Museum of Art

TAMPA, FL. – The Tampa Museum of Art announced today they have selected The Beck Group to manage the construction of the Museum’s Centennial Expansion project. 

An architecture and construction firm with offices in the U.S. and Mexico, Beck has managed the construction of many prominent cultural institutions. These include the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, and the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Beck has been in Tampa for more than 30 years. Its deep portfolio includes The James Museum and multiple projects at the Universities of Tampa and South Florida.

The Museum is funding the ambitious 77,904-square-foot expansion project through its ongoing Centennial Campaign, a comprehensive construction and endowment effort anchored by a $25 million lead gift from Dick Corbett. The Museum intends to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025, after which the institution will break ground. To date, generous support has been provided by individuals, families and corporations, as well as the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the State of Florida.

“Our commitment to the Tampa Bay area extends beyond construction; it’s about enriching communities. We take pride in shaping Tampa’s downtown waterfront, exemplified by our collaboration on the Tampa Museum of Art’s Centennial Expansion,” said Ryan Toth, regional director for Beck’s Florida office.

“Tampa Bay is growing by leaps and bounds, and we want the Museum’s offerings to keep pace with the demands of our region well into the future,” said Dr. Jamie Winderbaum Fernandez, board chair of the Tampa Museum of Art. “It is a privilege to lead the Tampa Museum of Art board through this transformational project so our neighbors and visitors have access to a world-class cultural landmark.”

“After completing the Centennial Renovation last year, we are making full use of the increased gallery and education space for the benefit of our visitors, students, and the wider community,” said Michael Tomor, Ph.D., the Jeff and Penny Vinik Executive Director at the Tampa Museum of Art. “The Expansion project we are embarking upon will allow us to offer amenities that will drive sustainability for the Museum and ensure a lasting cultural legacy.”

The Tampa Museum of Art announced in November 2021 that the New York-based design team of WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism would design the expansion. C. Samuel Ellison of Ellison Advisors, LLC will be the owner’s representative during the construction of the Museum’s expansion project.

Site Redevelopment

During the expansion project, the Museum’s surrounding site will be redefined to create new riverfront public terraces, sculpture parks, redesigned entrance plazas, outdoor dining and improved dog parks. As a continuation of Tampa’s Riverwalk, a sloped walk will bring pedestrians down to the river edge from the ground floor level. An outdoor amphitheater adjacent to the Museum’s indoor auditorium will serve as a shaded gathering place. With new native planting and shade trees, the Museum’s ground floor terrace will be accessible from the Riverwalk, creating a seamless and integrated public experience around the Museum and the park.

Grand Lobby

The new lobby will be accessible from both Curtis Hixon Park and Gasparilla Plaza. It will enhance the visitor experience with almost 12,000 square feet dedicated to a newly covered entrance, lobby, store, and restaurant. With an 18-foot ceiling height, this new first-floor space will provide ample space for exhibiting art within view of a new full-service restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining.

Auditorium

With exterior glazing along its West façade, the 150-seat auditorium will overlook the Hillsborough River, providing an inside-outside visual connection that defines the space. Equipped with a green room, sprung floor, projectors, AV system, and theatrical lighting, a range of events can be accommodated here: lectures, recitals, film screenings and multimedia performances. The space will be lined with acoustic wood panels and acoustically isolated from the event space above. A pre-function foyer space will serve as a flexible space on the mezzanine level before and after events.

Flexible Event Space and Digital Exhibition Wall

The large event space features a panoramic view of downtown Tampa, the University of Tampa, the Hillsborough River, and the Straz Center. With a 30-foot-tall ceiling equipped with a flexible AV and lighting system, it can host a myriad of exhibition and event configurations, transforming from a flexible digital gallery space to a private event space that can accommodate a seated dinner for 500 people and a dance floor. The adjacent catering kitchen will service the space when used for private events.

Sculpture Terrace

The new sculpture terrace will connect the existing Sullivan Terrace and the expansion’s second floor. The design will allow sculptures on display to be visible day and night from the Riverwalk and provide a connecting bridge to the new exhibition and event spaces.

Rooftop Spaces

On the fourth-floor rooftop, the interior space will house a flexible bar and accommodate a 100-person gathering, while the adjacent sculpture terrace provides a canopy with a circular oculus for various programming. A demonstration/test kitchen will be incorporated into the interior rooftop space where the Museum will add culinary arts classes to its educational programs.

Sustainability

The new building footprint significantly increases the Museum’s ability to go beyond its strategic plan of offering more exhibition and education programming to the community. All the new additional programable spaces add many more opportunities for income-generation activities into the institution’s business model through an increase in services and retail offerings to additional yearly visitors. With the new business model for the reconfigured space, the Museum will meet, and in some cases exceed, national averages of support and revenue, establishing Tampa’s cultural legacy for generations to come.

About The Beck Group

The Beck Group is a collaborative team of architects, builders, and technology experts transforming how its clients’ design and build. The century-old firm is the largest design-build firm in the United States, with 1000 employees in ten offices across the U.S. and Mexico. To learn more about Beck and how it designs and builds better communities, visit beckgroup.com.

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TAMPA, Fla. (July 9, 2024) — The Tampa Museum of Art today announced Cornelia Corbett has been named chair of its ambitious Centennial Capital Campaign. Corbett steps into the leadership role following the recent passing of the campaign’s former chairman, A. G. “Jerry” Divers, who died after a brief illness in mid-May.

Corbett has been a steadfast supporter of the museum for over a quarter of a century. She has previously served as chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees and is a current member of the Tampa Museum Foundation Board. Her deep involvement in the ongoing Centennial Campaign as a member of the Centennial Campaign Cabinet positions her well to steer the campaign toward its transformative goals.

Reflecting on the legacy of her predecessor, Corbett remarked, “Jerry Divers spent decades as a champion of the Tampa Museum of Art, and I have been honored to work with him on not one but two capital campaigns over the past two decades to ensure that Tampa has a world-class art museum.”

“Jerry never missed an opportunity to share his excitement and enthusiasm about what the museum could accomplish with the bold expansion of the facilities this capital campaign will underwrite.” The Centennial Campaign will allow the museum facilities to grow from 69,000 square feet to 120,000 square feet and to expand the exhibition and collection spaces from 14,800 square feet to 43,000 square feet. Once the expansion is complete, the new facilities will allow the Museum to serve 24,000 Hillsborough County school students annually.

Corbett’s vision for the future is clear: “I am honored and humbled to take on this role and to continue working with the Tampa Museum Foundation Board and the Museum Board of Trustees to accomplish the mission that Jerry Divers’ dedicated leadership has provided since the campaign was launched in 2019.”

Michael Tomor, Ph.D., the Penny and Jeff Vinik Executive Director of the Tampa Museum of Art, expressed his confidence in Corbett’s leadership: “Cornie Corbett is a deeply committed, no-nonsense advocate of the missions she undertakes. By becoming the leader of the Centennial Capital Campaign at this crucial time, the museum is confident that her perseverance will ensure that Jerry Divers’ vision of a stunning expansion will be achieved at the Tampa Museum of Art.”

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