The Museum of Science & History plans a new, larger museum on the Northbank. | MOSH
Published on March 26, 2024 at 4:03 pm
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The effort to build a new Museum of Science & History on the Northbank has received a $10 million boost from CSX.
The donation, announced Tuesday, will help the museum move from its cramped space near Friendship Fountain on the Southbank to land known as Lot X in the Shipyards.
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The money from CSX is the single largest donation toward the museum’s Genesis campaign, which aims to raise $40 million by the end of June to comply with a 40-year agreement with the city to lease the Lot X land for $1 a year.
The museum plans a 100,000-square-foot museum with three floors and an option to expand by an additional 30,000 square feet. The museum also will design a park to surround the new museum.
Construction is still on track to begin before the end of December 2025, with an opening sometime in 2027, museum officials said.
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MOSH CEO Alistair Dove would not specify the specific dollar amount still needed to reach $40 million, but he said the organization is confident it will reach that goal.
“We’re very confident that we’re going to hit the fundraising goal of $40 million by the end of June,” Dove said. “So, we have soft commitments that are approaching that amount now that takes time to navigate multimillion-dollar gift agreements.”
The Downtown Investment Authority has certain fundraising deadlines MOSH must reach before June. The museum needs $30 million by the end of March and $35 million by the end of April. Originally, MOSH was supposed to raise all of the money by Dec. 31 2023, but the campaign missed that deadline and the city extended it.
The gift from CSX will allow the company to become the “presenting sponsor” at the new museum. The designation includes naming on the outside of the building and other recognition inside.
CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs said the gift is the continuation of other work the company has done in the community.
“We are proud to lend our name to an institution that promises to inspire the next generation of leaders in science, technology, engineering, and math,” Hinrichs said in a news release. “These fields directly support our business operations while reinforcing Northeast Florida’s status as a logistics leader.”
Other large donations from CSX since July include $1 million for a new train station at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and $10 million to support a University of Florida graduate center Downtown.
CSX also donated $100,000 to the Together Strong Community Fund to fight antisemitism in Northeast Florida.
