Maritime Museum relocates to the Landing

[thelakelander]

After being informed that their Southbank building will be demolished, the Jacksonville Maritime Museum has relocated to the Jacksonville Landing.

by Max Marbut
Staff Writer

The Jacksonville Maritime Museum has returned to its roots as far as location is concerned.

Established by a group of volunteers committed to collecting, maintaining and exhibiting the artifacts from the city’s rich shipping and seagoing military history, the institution’s first home was at the Landing.

Paul Ghiotto, the museum’s curator since 2007, said the museum was in a 1,700-square-foot space that was basically donated by The Rouse Company, the original developer of the property. That arrangement created some challenges for the new visitor destination.

“Every time someone wanted to lease our space, we had to move,” said Ghiotto. “After the museum had to move six or seven times, the City offered the use of that building at the south end of the Main Street Bridge.”

That location offered about 1,800 square feet of space for exhibits, a maritime library, a gift ship and an office.

Ghiotto said the search for the museum’s next location began when City planners informed the board of directors that the museum’s building at the foot of the bridge will be demolished as part of the Southbank Riverwalk renovation project.

The new space, the former Discount Pro Wear store, is about 9,000 square feet, including space for displays, a meeting room, a small theater, an office and even a little storage.

Ghiotto said moving back to the Landing and into the more expansive space will allow the museum, for the first time, to exhibit everything in its collection.

“This will keep us going. The alternative was to put everything in storage,” he said.

Having more space will also mean the museum can exhibit pieces of the collection that have been on loan for years, including several ship models currently at Mayport Naval Station and Jacksonville University.

Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/downtowntoday.php?dt_date=2010-12-27

[Keith-N-Jax]

Great I can't wait to check it out. They will probably get more visitors at the Landing.

[BridgeTroll]

They should get alot more visitors at the Landing...

[tufsu1]

it also fits well with the Navy/Naval store at the Landing

[Jaxson]

What is going to happen to the old site?

[thelakelander]

COJ plans to demolish it as a part of the southbank riverwalk renovations.

[Seraphs]

What does this mean for a  possible navel ship docking at the museum?

[Singejoufflue]

Does anyone have a proposed design for the Southbank Riverwalk redo?

[rainfrog]

I just love that there's a really fitting typo in that article. Instead of "gift shop" they wrote "gift ship." 

[thelakelander]

The riverwalk renovations won't have much, if any, impact on the possible naval ship site.  Also, I don't believe a design for the Southbank Riverwalk has been released to the public at this point.

[ChriswUfGator]

I would have hoped COJ would have worked with the museum about incorporating its needs into the southbank redesign, but I suppose that was expecting way too much of our local government. Who would just demolish a museum without working to incorporate them back into the fabric?

[Overstreet]

What does this mean for a  possible navel ship docking at the museum?.....

A museum that was in 1800sf suddenly blossoms into one with a ship? Not likely. A small museum that moved to 9,000sf of higher priced retail space at The Landing will likely scratch for rent money much less a ship maintenance budget.  I doubt too that the landing would want to loose view or loose the boat docking that a ship would do. Plus the dolphins for ships are on the east side of the Mainstreet bridge.

[ChriswUfGator]

What does this mean for a  possible navel ship docking at the museum?.....

A museum that was in 1800sf suddenly blossoms into one with a ship? Not likely. A small museum that moved to 9,000sf of higher priced retail space at The Landing will likely scratch for rent money much less a ship maintenance budget.  I doubt too that the landing would want to loose view or loose the boat docking that a ship would do. Plus the dolphins for ships are on the east side of the Mainstreet bridge.

+1

I think this is probably the death of the Charles F Adams proposal. The group of guys locally that would've been interested in that are the same ones runnng the museum, and they've got their hands full now.

[thelakelander]

It would have been nice to have the maritime museum and MOSH better integrated with the revamped Friendship Fountain space.  They would be great anchors for such a space.  Can anyone explain why it seems like we're like the only major city in the U.S. that strays away from integrating restaurants, cafes and attractions with urban public spaces?  It seems like the Landing experience has made COJ shell shocked.


The Riverwalks and other downtown public spaces would be a lot more vibrant with a mix of uses designed and encouraged to be seamlessly integrated with them.

[thelakelander]

I don't think this has anything to do with the Charles F. Adams ship.  It was never planned to be docked at the old maritime museum site.  Plus, a ship that size could house the entire maritime museum and more if desired.  Anyway, I don't see the Landing as a long term location for the museum.  My guess is as soon as Sleiman finds someone willing to pay higher rent for that space, they are out.