The Museum of Fine Arts added more space to accommodate visitors to the popular Dale Chihuly exhibition.
By JON WILSON
Published March 21, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Next to the Museum of Fine Arts, white batons roped with yellow strands stake out territory on the grass.
The temporary demarcation allows parking for museum visitors but presages no future fixture, museum director John Schloder said last week.
The 50 extra spaces are to accommodate crowds enjoying the museum's popular Dale Chihuly glass exhibition.
"They love the show, but they say there's no parking," Schloder said.
Patrons who want to slip into a space close to the museum at 255 Beach Drive NE can use on-street spaces with a 90-minute time limit during the museum's hours.
But the time restriction puts pressure on people who want a leisurely look at the glass show and the museum's other features.
No time restrictions burden the grass parking. It costs $3 for museum patrons, who must show an admission receipt. Otherwise, they pay $15.
The extra spaces on the grass - which is museum property, not the city's - has helped meet a recent spike in demand.
Museum daily attendance has "sextupled" its usual flow, Schloder estimated. He said the count has reached 55,000 visitors since the glass exhibition opened Jan. 18. It closes May 30.
Vehicles churning the ground on the parking site are not a concern because the city government is planning to dig for a drainage improvement project on the site later this year anyway, Schloder said.
The museum has been discussing expansion, but specific plans have not been announced.
The museum owns about 4.5 acres between Beach and Bayshore drives NE. The parcel extends from Second Avenue NE roughly to a pair of banyan trees just beyond Third Avenue NE.
The land virtually was given by the city to the museum in 1961. The building and its asphalt parking lot occupy about two-thirds of the tract.
