Aquarium & Children's Museum for Downtown...

[Overstreet]

Marineland is a mere shadow of it's former self. It is now a dolphin encounter. Everything else is gone.

[Overstreet]

This is a small aquarium. It says 8,000sf and 250,000 gallons. The 8,000sf must be the tank size. It has 15,000sf of inside exhibit space about half of a CVS and 25,000 of outside exhibit space, a little over half acre. It only is expecting 75,000 visitors.  It might be good to project small.

The Florida Aquarium(tampa) is 250,000sf and has a single reef tank of 500,000 gallons plus others. It measures visitors in the 545,000 to 620,000. It has a two acre outdoor display area. It projected big and lost money early on but recovered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Aquarium

The Gerogia(Atlanta) has over a million gallon tank plus others. The Monetray Aquarium has one tank that is 1,000,000 gallons and another 330,000.

[Overstreet]

250,000 gallons is about the size of a water tower.

I built one once 225,000 gal. It was about 135 ft tall with a 5ft diameter pipe up from the base to a "ball" about 30-35ft  in diameter.

[Jason]

^ Exactly.  This thing isn't intended to compete with Orlando, Tampa, and the likes.  It is merely a small attraction meant to capitalize on the tourists already in town.

[SunKing]

The aquarium is a privately funded attraction that is made possible by the City of SA working with the developer.  It is intended to be built out over phases and be financially self sufficient.

The developer originally looked in Jacksonville but he was met with crickets.

[Overstreet]

^ Exactly.  This thing isn't intended to compete with Orlando, Tampa, and the likes.  It is merely a small attraction meant to capitalize on the tourists already in town.

Then it would be perfect for St Augustine since they have tourist already in town.  Jacksonville? .....not so much.

[twojacks]

I too like the idea of an aquarium...but a children's museum?  I've seen every size and color they come in at this point and wouldn't spend a nickel to see one in a museum.

[blizz01]

Ha - had to read that 2x.

[blizz01]

Hmm - all the while, the developer placed @ One Spark - perhaps there should be a collaborative effort with the (winning) group trying to bring an aquarium to DT (JAX).

City acknowledges lack of support for Riberia Point plan
Lincolnville residents say they don't want more traffic, noise

the St. Augustine Children's Museum and the St. Augustine Aquarium does not have public support.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2014-04-11/city-acknowledges-lack-support-riberia-point-plan#.U0vsQ8eMxnQ

[ben says]

For a successful, yet extremely small urban aquarium, look no farther than Charleston's.

Ridiculously small, basically two tanks, but between the water exhibits and rotating animal exhibits + it's incorporation of the river, they are quite a hit.

[jaxjaguar]

I don't understand why the couple trying to fund the St. Aug aquarium doesn't just team up with AquaJax. Together they could make a project bigger than alone. St. Aug doesn't want the aquarium and Jax is dying to have one... Heck Mayor Brown & Khan could probably provide them with a sweet incentive package to come here. 

[Steve]

^Agreed. The sort of thing that St. Augustine is doing is the exact same type of thing that hurts Atlanta, when different municipalities don't work together. St. Augustine needs to get behind Jacksonville's aquarium.

Not to be cold, but despite being older, St. Augustine is Jacksonville's bedroom community, not the other way around.

[blizz01]

^Agreed x2.  I respect what they're doing down there, but the prospect of putting my name on something "world class" certainly trumps everything else.  I trust that if Mr. Khan was to get involved in some capacity, world class is precisely what it would/could ultimately be.

[vicupstate]

For a successful, yet extremely small urban aquarium, look no farther than Charleston's.

Ridiculously small, basically two tanks, but between the water exhibits and rotating animal exhibits + it's incorporation of the river, they are quite a hit.

It has 93,000 SF with a 385,000 gallon tank.  It opened in 2000, and cost around $90-100 mm to build as I recall.

[Tacachale]

St. Augustine by itself probably has more tourist visits than all of Duval County. And this aquarium project is very clearly pretty small, and therefore perhaps more likely to get completed than what they're shooting for in Jax. On the other hand, it would be feeding off/competing with many other attractions in the area, whereas a larger aquarium in downtown Jacksonville would be its own draw and perhaps even compliment the zoo.