The Dalí Museum Expansion

The Dalí has been a part of the St. Petersburg community for over 40 years since opening its doors in 1982. It has seen tremendous growth, particularly since the current building opened in 2011. The Museum attracts as many as 400,000 visitors annually from the Tampa Bay area, Florida, every state in the US and over 30 countries around the world.

Also, as a museum grounded in the creative spirit of the namesake artist, Salvador Dalí, combined with growing worldwide demand for the digital art experiences, the expansion calls for dedicated gallery space for experiences that blend art and technology. Dalí Museum visitors have reported a strong interest in seeing more immersive experiences—they help people feel more connected to art, better understand it and gain inspiration from it.

In addition to dedicated space for digital art, the expanded Museum would include more community space for K-12 student programs and adult education including the Museum’s growing Innovation Labs, a proprietary professional development program.

The Dalí has been on the cutting edge of digital and experiential art. The expansion will strengthen the Museum’s leadership position in visual arts education and experience, provide more space for students and educators and continue to be a matter of pride to the community as the leading global attraction in the region. It will also drive visitors and create jobs, furthering the Museum’s economic impact.

An independent study by Research Data Services, Inc. concluded The Dalí has generated nearly $1 billion in economic impact to the area in the last decade. The Museum’s proposed expansion would drive an incremental 70,000 visitors and nearly $180 million dollars in economic impact to St. Petersburg in the first year alone.

The design proposal builds to the west of the Museum, connected to the existing structure, on a 40-foot-wide strip (Lot 6). See image below. (When the project began in 2018, the idea was to build on the existing parking lot (Lot 3); it was revised in 2021 to accommodate the competing interests of other area organizations).

When The Dalí originally conceived and designed the first expansion plans in 2018, the estimated cost was $35M (with a solar roof option of +$3M). The design has since changed, coupled with extreme escalations in the costs of construction, and now the proposed permanent addition is estimated at $68M.

Funding will come from of the following sources:

• A capital grant* from the Pinellas County Commission drawn from hotel tax revenue from tourists to the area.
• The Museum’s expansion fund.
• Private funds donated by individuals in support of the benefits the Museum brings to the community.
• Corporate sponsorships.

*Capital Project Grants from the Pinellas County Commission, at the recommendation of the Tourist Development Council, come from “Bed Tax,” which is collected from overnight tourist accommodations (e.g. hotels, motels, etc.), which Pinellas County reinvests into improvements in the County for capital projects for sports attractions, cultural arts organizations and other economic development projects.

No, the City has not committed direct funds for the Museum’s permanent expansion. However, the City is supportive of the project, leading the referendum (noted below), and will assist in transportation and related matters throughout the construction period.

The strip of land The Dalí is proposing to build the permanent addition upon is zoned “waterfront” (though it’s on the west side of the building, away from the water). The Museum’s 99-year renewable lease with the City of St. Petersburg needs to be amended to allow The Dalí to build on that strip of land (Lot 6). The current lease allows the Museum to build on Lot 1, Lot 2 and Lot 3, but not the strip of land between them. The referendum was placed on the Nov 2022 ballot for St. Petersburg residents and passed.

No, the project does NOT require St Petersburg resident tax-payer funding.

The Center for the Arts is a project proposed by the City of St. Petersburg, which would transform additional parts of the area around The Dalí and The Mahaffey Theater. The City has presented conceptual renderings, making the entrances to the Museum and Theater more inviting while revising parking. The City is in the process of conducting further studies and assessments for the project. The Dalí’s expansion is a first step toward the larger Center for the Arts concept, which aims to benefit visitors and locals for years to come.

The Dalí’s expansion plan will have no foreseeable negative impact on nearby organizations. In fact, the current project plans are designed to accommodate the needs of those around us, including The Mahaffey Theater. Additionally, the Theater remained open when The Dalí built its current structure, with no interruptions to The Mahaffey’s operations. The only impact to the Mahaffey would be moving (not removing) one of the many parking garage entrances to a new location. Now that the referendum has passed, we will continue to work with the City of St. Petersburg and our neighbors throughout the lease amendment process and in subsequent expansion planning.