MOSH has released renderings of three of 10 galleries at its planned Northbank museum. This one is called Nature & Culture. | MOSH, Ralph Appelbaum Associates
Published on March 23, 2026 at 2:52 pm
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Jacksonville’s Museum of Science & History has released its first renderings of galleries planned for the new MOSH on the Northbank.
The illustrations include three of the 10 galleries planned — The Nexus, Superhuman and Nature & Culture.
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The estimated 50,000-square-foot, $131 million-plus museum could begin construction in the fall and open in 2029.
Museum officials said the interior renderings mark a major milestone as they offer a look into a museum “designed to transform how people encounter science, history, innovation, and the natural world.”
Developed in collaboration with the exhibition design firm of Ralph Appelbaum Associates, each gallery will be built as immersive spaces versus static displays of old.
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“We are building this museum from the ground up at the exact moment museums across the country are being transformed into dynamic experiences,” MOSH board chairperson Jill Davis said in a news release.
The galleries “represent a bold reimagining of what a museum can be: immersive environments where visitors explore ideas through storytelling, technology, and shared experience,” Davis said.
Nick Appelbaum, president and CEO of Ralph Appelbaum Associates, said, “Great museums create moments of discovery that stay with people for a lifetime, and that is exactly what we are designing here,”
MOSH’s move
The museum operated at 1025 Museum Circle on the city’s Southbank beginning in 1969. MOSH had planned to expand its existing 77,000-square-foot building, then opted for a new, larger home after it faced construction challenges.
The Downtown Investment Authority voted unanimously in 2022 to support the details of a city lease for a new MOSH on 2.5 acres of the Shipyards along East Bay Street.
A riverwalk and park space are also planned for the site across from Intuition Ale Works, which is set to close April 24 at East Bay Street and A. Philip Randolph Boulevard.
The new MOSH site is just east of the Jacksonville Fire Museum and Pier 1, the home of the USS Orleck naval ship museum.
Fundraising for the new museum encountered some delays. But fundraising continues as MOSH closed its Southbank museum in May, and the Downtown Investment Authority board approved a $875,000 budget transfer to demolish it.
First gaze at galleries
These are the illustrations released Monday:
- THE NEXUS, a proposed “town square” — a welcoming point, gathering space and flexible venue with an arcing stairway that can be used as a seating area for events ranging from student workshops and science presentations to corporate product launches and social evenings.
- THE SUPERHUMAN, designed to let visitors test their limits through training, technology and innovation, MOSH said. Activities and challenges will demonstrate the science behind human and animal abilities, drawing on sports, biomimicry and technology. The Superhuman gallery experience will also highlight the role of innovation in advancing health and well-being, MOSH officials said.
- NATURE & CULTURE, which invites visitors to step into the exploration of the place we call home, MOSH officials said. Displays will showcase information on everything from the Big Bang to Big Data, highlighting the effect of nature on human culture and vice versa through media, storytelling and interactive exploration, MOSH officials said.
MOSH will construct the new museum and and design a surrounding park, with the city providing $880,000 toward the park’s design.
The city will own the building and lease it to the museum for $1 per year for 40 years. The city also will build the park, do roadway and utility work, and construct a length of the Northbank Riverwalk on the property as part of $20 million in improvements already funded in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
MOSH’s capital campaign has raised nearly $100 million to date as the project continues to advance through design and pre-construction phases, officials said.
