St. Petersburg's Dali Museum unveils major expansion plans

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A hub of art and culture in downtown St. Petersburg is getting a major expansion.

The Dali Museum, which has been a fixture downtown since 2011, is getting a 35,000 square foot addition.

Big picture view:

The expansion will focus on digital immersive experiences.

"We haven't had ample space to have the learning experiences we've wanted, or for the wonderful digital interactive experiences that are our hallmark in the current space," Dali Museum Director Hank Hine said.

Hine says the museum was originally designed for still paintings, but they want to expand the variety of exhibits and opportunities for visitors.

"People like to see themselves in the art that they're involved with," he said. "So, we've had a program where you can do a self-portrait and then transform yourself into any style of art, like Dali, like Picasso, like a Renaissance master."

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Hine says the Dali Alive 360, which opened in 2023, was their first step towards creating this type of experience. The Dali Dome is a multisensory exhibit where Salvador Dali's work comes to life through lights, sounds and animated visuals.

Renderings detailed the plans for the expansion on the south side of the Dali's property.

"And it will connect through our galleries to this new southern building, and that building will have both the learning and the digital experiences, and wonderfully transformable into event spaces," Hine said.

What they're saying:

"A cultural attraction is very powerful in bringing people into the community," Hine said.

Hine says the $65 million expansion will be completed with the help of private and government funding. He says some of the funding for the project is coming from the Pinellas County Tourism Development Tax.

"Very importantly, tourist tax dollars very early on were committed to this," he said. "Those are dollars that are taken when people visit from the outside to our community to help spur tourism."

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What's next:

A 3D model of the proposed expansion will be visible in May.

Hine says construction on the expansion is slated to start this summer. The new space is expected to open to the public in late 2028.