DIA Board Approves Terms of MOSH Land Lease at Shipyards

he Museum of Science and History agreed to terms of a ground lease for 2½ acres on the city-owned Shipyards property as part of its proposal to build a new facility on the Downtown Northbank.

The Downtown Investment Authority board voted 6-0 on Jan. 19 to sign off on the details of a 40-year lease with MOSH for $1 per year.

In exchange, MOSH CEO Bruce Fafard says the nonprofit will complete an $85 million, 130,000-square-foot museum facility by Dec. 31, 2027. 

MOSH announced in October 2020 it plans to relocate from 1025 Museum Circle on the Downtown Southbank, its location since 1967.

The deal would allow MOSH to build a facility as small as 75,000 square feet, but Fafard told board members during a Jan. 18 committee meeting that the museum’s board is committed to the larger space. 

He reassured the DIA that, if there was a lag in fundraising, it would be addressed by the phasing in of exhibits and not the building’s footprint.

“The 130,000-square-foot building from our perspective is really nonnegotiable. That is what we feel is the size that we need,” Fafard said.

“The signature building is very important to us, as I’m sure it is to the community.”

Get the full story at the Jacksonville Daily Record.