MOSH to double in size?

[thelakelander]

MOSH plans boosting space to focus on future

SOUTHBANK -- The Museum of Science and History is in the early stages of developing a plan that could nearly double its existing space.

"We're sort of bursting at the seams," MOSH Acting President and CEO Michael Oberg said. Ten years after its last expansion, the museum is squeezing use out of every available square foot and still coming up short.

The shortfall may be most apparent in the exhibition space. Of the museum's 82,200 square feet, 6,000 square feet are devoted to traveling exhibit space.

Jacksonville has missed out on exhibits, Oberg said, because the museum falls well short of the 10,000 to 12,000 square feet of exhibition space required for most major national and international traveling exhibits.

Rink Design Partnership Inc. is developing the next five-to-10-year architectural plan for MOSH based on the needs of the city-owned museum that may include 50,000 to 70,000 square feet of new exhibition space, a rooftop observatory, classroom space, retail space and a new entrance gallery.

full article: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2007/06/11/story3.html

[jbm32206]

That would be fantastic if they do...it's a wonderful place and I agree that it could attract more exhibits.

[Steve]

Make the building more pedestrian friendlyy - it's a warehouse with a glass front door.

[copperfiend]

MOSH is one of the most underutilized things in this city. It is in need of serious updating. I hadn't been in a few years but stopped by a few months ago. I could not believe how much of it hasn't changed. Is it normal for a museum like this to be city owned?

[thelakelander]

I don't know if its normal, but MOSH could clearly use a little fresh blood. 

[sc26]

I hope MOSH decides to double in size.

[chrissy]

What about putting some public art on the outside of that warehouse with windows? Maybe something tying in scientific advances in our area with the unique biological landscape ...

[thelakelander]

At this point, anything will help.  Public art, a cafe along the street or facing the park with outdoor seating, a couple of electronic message boards, the list goes on....

[downtownparks]

I dont think the museum is city owned, The building and the land are (its one of those 50 or 100 year leases like the Landing and the Jax Ale House), but the museum is a 501 (c)3 entity, like most.

[vicupstate]

Atlanta has a Children's Museum in the bottom of a residential highrise.  That would be a great idea for the MOSH site.  That site is way too prime to be so underutilized.  The views from a highrise at that site would be incredible.   

[raheem942]

maybe then we would have summer where to put the supper bowl trophy when the jags bring one home

[Jason]

Any news on the designs?  I'm curious to see what this expansion is going to look like.

[Ocklawaha]

Okay, it weighs about 2,000 pounds wet, it will pull your F-150 backward up a hill!

Back in the 80's I brought the Jacksonville Live Steamers and Gateway Model Railroaders there. I got real involved with JLS and MOSH. At that time, JAKE-Boss-Hogg-Godbold, was trying to put a huge aquarium next door. MOSH and JLS were talking about installing a small railroad around the museum or park. The insurance crisis was heating up and finally JLS folded under the pressure. All the area guys with Steam Locomotives in the garage, retreated and the City demanded we each carry a couple MILLION dollars of insurance. Fat Chance. Sadly, the problem was worked out in other Cities and through a national association of Live Steamers. Today, JLS has it's own huge acreage facility in BOSTWICK, and is known as the NORTH FLORIDA LIVE STEAMERS. Check their web-site to see what we chased away!


Yes Martha, These ARE REAL steam locomotives, no wear gloves, no touchie.
NORTH FLORIDA LIVE STEAMERS AND LARGE SCALE RAILROADERS INC. Website...Check out the ALBUMS
http://www.neflsri.com/

Meanwhile, inside, us guys with stationary Steam Engines, and the fellows into Model Trains, had a hard time just finding space to set something up. While the building is novel and interesting, it is nearly useless for the intended purposes. It's like 85,000 Square feet of attached phone booths. I haven't gotten back to my old club here, but if any of you are game, I'd be happy to arrange a look-see down below Green Cove Springs, it might be fun.


Hey JAKE!??? You missed one! Hee Hee

Ocklawaha
...But NOT all of the time Victoria!

[Jason]

Now that is some cool stuff!  Those kids look like they are having a great time.  That would be a great attraction at MOSH.  What would it take to make it work?

[Ocklawaha]

If the City would spring for the track, at any site, and LISTEN to the large scale railroaders... it CAN be done. In fact their are clubs all over the world. At the international meet in Los Angeles in 1980, I believe more then 20,000 attended, one group from Japan even chartered a jet to carry them and their equipment! The EU, and Downunder are chock full of clubs too. The North East USA and far west has many and the SOUTH is quite strong along with the middle and mid-west. Many of these tracks are in City Parks. Engineers have to pass a railroad style exam to carry passengers, otherwise there are freight and yard exams. The States rule it as a railroad. The insurance is carried by the Cities with a rider for the qualified engineers. To date, there has not been a single claim that I am aware of. The cars are heavy enough to REALLY hurt if they ran over fingers or toes, but only the locomotives are beefy enough to do real damage. I have seen these big steamers walk off with 20+ fully loaded passenger cars, UP GRADE! Talk about "stack talk" they almost bark at the strain... very cool. In the winter meets the cold and steam make the show unreal! We or St. Johns, Clay or Nassau could do this in any park and host several meets a year. The balance of the weekends could be operated by a group of qualified engineers and a small set of City owned passenger cars and "diesel" locomotive. Could probably be added with a nice ride for under $100,000. While it is a rich mans toy (though many are far from rich and still manage) it is a fine average man's (or child's) ride. Those kids are mostly retired professionals who always wanted to be the engineer. Others are more into it for the machine shop skills, some just for trains. The logo of the Central Oklahoma Live Steamers has two cartoon children standing longingly by the track as a tiny train of old boys roll past, engineer "oblivious", rider with video also "oblivious" to anything by the train, and another with a tape recorder too busy catching the cool sounds to "notice" the kids! What a hoot! (pun intended)

Ocklawaha