$305M Frost Science Museum Back on Track after Challenging Month

Thenew $305 million Frost Science Museum in Miami will open in the spring. This isdespitethe project being threatened with closure just last month.

Financial challenge

After spending$165 million in county money for construction, the museum board was struggling to find the additional$80 million. Somepromised private pledges hadn't materialised. Spring says, "They told us their only alternative would be to shutter the building and close down construction. That was a fairly dramatic moment."

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Thankfully, the county foundaround $45 million (a hotel bed tax earmarked for tourism and cultural projects) and the museum accessed afurther$25 millionby tweakingconstruction costs.

Pharmaceutical billionaire couple Patricia and Phillip Frost, the museum's princicpal backers, also contributedanother $4 million of their own money.

"This is an important personal project for us. We are committed to ensuring the success of the museum in the hope that it will inspire generations of children and adults, " the Frostssaid.

Neighbours in Museum Park

The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is one of the two museums in Miami'snew 20 acre Museum Park on the Biscayne Bay waterfront.

The other is theThePérez Art Museum Miami(PAMM), acontemporary artmuseum. Although originally founded in 1984, as theCenter for the Fine Arts, it subsequently became theMiami Art Museumfrom 1996 until it was renamed in 2013 upon the move toits new buildingin Museum Park. The move has proved a huge success, with visitor numbers more than quadrupling.

Herzog & de Meuron's award-winning design for PAAM'sbuilding ( below ) has beencritically acclaimed.The Wall Street Journal suggested thatdesign alone could be instrumental in making the museum "a destination".

The Frost Science Museum

The Frost Science Museum has a footprint offour acres and comprisesfour interconnected buildings. Thesewill showcase a series of interactive exhibits utilisinghighly sustainable, technologically advanced aquaria and terraria.

On its website, the museums says, “With its real-life marvels, interactive exhibits, and exciting learning adventures in a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building, the new Frost Science will introduce the basic concepts of science and technology.It also will be a unique educational resource for people of all ages, cultures and economic backgrounds.”

A highlight of The Frost Science Museum will be the 500, 000-gallon aquarium. This will be home tosharks, barracuda, tuna and sea turtles.Another will be theEverglades exhibit, "River of Grass". In addition, there will be a planetariumandan exhibit on the evolution of flight, "Feathers to the Stars". Furthermore, the site will housea variety oflaboratories, conference rooms and hands-on visitor experiences.

The two maindraws are expected tobe the cone-shaped aquarium and state-of-the-artplanetarium. The former hasthree levels descending from an open-air upper deck to a view from the bottom. Onopen-air deck visitors will see exhibits ofcorals, a mangrove forest and a stingray tank.

Frost Science President Frank Steslow said, "We didn't want to be a black box that is competing with the outside air and the sun. We wanted people to experience the rain."

At the bottom of the aquarium, visitors willview the marine lifefrom underneath. This will be through the medium of a hugeglass oculus. Built in Rome, the glass is 13 inches thick and weighs 80, 000 pounds.

A Downtown Cluster

The 250, 000-square-foot Frost Science Museum is adjacentto the Perez Art Museum MiamiinMuseum Park. Next to Museum Park is theAmerican Airlines Arena, where basketball teamMiami Heat play.Florida's biggestfine arts center, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, is just across the street.All these attractions are a short causeway drive from the famousMiami Beach.

Steslow said the Frost Science Museumbrings another cultural option to the downtown cluster of attractions. He hopes they will eachbenefit from the proximity."We think we'll complement each other really well."

The museum expects around725, 000 visitors in its first year.They estimate that62%will be local and 38% tourists. The figure includes 100, 000 childrenwithschool groups.

Spring said, "It's always tough opening something brand new and making it go perfectly. But I think all of the pieces are in place to give us a shot at doing that."

https://www.startribune.com/after-financial-setback-305m-miami-science-museum-rises/409530205/