MOSH hits funding deadline, ready to start building new museum in downtown Jacksonville

Plans to relocate Jacksonville's Museum of Science and History to a new riverfront location near EverBank Stadium got a big boost this week when the museum announced it had hit its deadline to raise $40 million.

MOSH had until July 1 to raise the money, according to a development agreement with the city. That means MOSH can go ahead with plans to relocate from the Southbank near Friendship Fountain to a new museum that will be built on Lot X, where Hogans Creek meets the St. Johns River. Construction is expected to begin in 2025 and plans call for the new MOSH to open in 2027.

“We are grateful to every supporter whose contribution has brought us to this first major milestone. Building a project of this magnitude requires the unity of an entire community," said Jill Davis, the MOSH Genesis capital campaign chair and vice chair of the MOSH Board of Trustees. "Looking ahead, we are committed to raising additional funds from both private and public donors. To all future supporters who will join us in the years ahead, we welcome you to this exciting next phase of the MOSH Genesis campaign.”

The city has agreed to lease the riverfront site to the museum for 40 years at a dollar a year and has pledged $20 million to the project. The construction timeline means workers will be building the new MOSH at the same time others are working on EverBank Stadium renovations just down the street.

“With this requirement successfully satisfied, we are now setting our sights on the next steps in the project. We are continuing work on the building’s design, exhibits and interactivity with its future setting at the Shipyards,” said Alistair Dove, CEO of MOSH. “As we enter the next phase of the capital campaign, we will continue to engage our community for their support and input on this significant endeavor. My heartfelt thanks go to the MOSH team, our capital campaign committee and Board of Trustees, and our community advocates for their unwavering dedication to this landmark project.”

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No one donation put the drive over the top of the funding goal. CSX donated $10 million earlier this year to become the museum's title sponsor. The James E. and A. Dano Davis Family Charities and Jed and Jill Davis, from the family that built the Winn-Dixie grocery store chain, donated $1.5 million this year. Other private donations include $5 million from Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan; $2.5 million from VyStar Credit Union; $1.1 million from the Lastinger family, including $1 million from the St. Augustine-based Lastinger Family Foundation and $100,000 from Lindsey Lastinger Riggs and Ryan Riggs; $1 million from the Ponte Vedra Beach-based Neviaser Foundation; $500,000 from PNC Bank and a "significant contribution" from the C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Foundation. The state of Florida has a $5 million appropriation for the museum in its 2024-25 budget.

MOSH 2.0 will have almost twice the space as the current facility, in a three-floor, 130,000-square-foot building. Exhibits are to use aspects of the St. Johns River as a navigation guide for visitors, beginning with a two-story water feature representing the 27-foot drop from the St. Johns' headwaters in Indian River County to where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Jacksonville. Then guests will follow "pathways that mimic the river's role in connecting the region" interspersed with collections and content "islands" showcasing the area's "nature, innovation and culture," according to MOSH.