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Orlando Museum Of Art Wants To Move To A New, Bigger Building Downtown

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Orlando Museum of Art Forward to 100

The Orlando Museum of Art wants to build a new home downtown. The museum says the new building would be a 21st century “architectural wonder” and an internationally recognized destination.

Ted Brown, chair of the museum’s strategic planning committee, says the museum has outgrown its current home.

“There’s no way to expand here. There is an ability to go up but only one more story and only over a portion of this building so things like this facility, this amphitheater are very antiquated and outdated,” said Brown.

The new building would be about 160 thousand square feet- double the size of the museum now. A site has not been picked.

It’s part of the Museum of Art’s new "Forward to 100" plan for the next nine years leading up to its 100th anniversary. The museum has partnered with a development firm, Tavistock, to research design, land and funding. Tavistock developed Lake Nona.

Brown did not have a price tag yet but is already looking at funding options.

“It will be private philanthropy to a very significant extent, it may include looking to local governments, both the county and the city to contribute, it may include looking to the tourist development tax to contribute,” said Brown.

The museum wants to catch up to other cities that have museums with higher attendance including Denver, Portland and St. Louis.