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Dali hunts money for move

Voters said yes to the Salvador Dali Museum's move. Now museum officials must raise $20-million to build the new facility.

By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published November 21, 2004

ST. PETERSBURG - The roof of the giant concrete cylinder known as Times Arena at Bayfront Center will be blasted into rubble Dec. 1.

Few are more excited about the demolition than officials at the Salvador Dali Museum, who hope to take over the arena site.

More than 75 percent of St. Petersburg voters approved a referendum authorizing the move. Also approved was a measure transferring the Dali property to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, which wants to expand.

But there are still significant hurdles.

Hank Hine, executive director of the Dali, said the museum needs about $20-million to build a new 50,000-square-foot facility.

Museum officials say they hope to get a sizable chunk of that money from the state during the spring legislative session. Hine said the museum would like to get about $6-million from the transfer of its lease to USF, plus $8-million in state grants.

Hine said the museum also will launch a major fundraising campaign after the Legislature adjourns in early May.

St. Petersburg City Council member John Bryan, an early proponent of moving the Dali, said the results of the referendums should have a significant impact on the Legislature.

"I'm pretty confident," Bryan said. "Seventy-five percent of voters - that's huge. No legislator can ignore the fact that 75 percent of the people in St. Petersburg wanted this to happen."

State Sen. Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg, has been slowly gathering support for the project for the last year and a half. He said he already has met with top state officials, including Gov. Jeb Bush and Secretary of State Glenda Hood.

Sebesta said he's optimistic, but it won't be easy.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work by a lot of people," he said. "The state doesn't have a lot of extra money sitting around on the shelf."

Hine said several members of the Pinellas County legislative delegation have also pledged their support, including Rep. Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg.

The building will be three stories, designed by Tampa architect Yann Weymouth. The top floor will be 20,000 square feet, offering twice as much exhibition space.

The permanent collection and any traveling exhibits will be displayed on the top floor, which will keep the priceless artwork better protected from flooding than its current ground floor location, Hine said.

The first floor will house an orientation room and a movie theater to introduce visitors to Dali's works. Two libraries will be on the second floor, one open to the public and the other reserved for staff research and archives.

"This really gives us the opportunity to move from protector of a collection to world-class interpreter of that collection," Hine said.

If they can raise the money in time, museum officials hope to have the new building completed and occupied by 2007.

The move would also give much-needed space to USF St. Petersburg, whose student population is expected to increase dramatically over the next few years.

Campus chancellor Karen White said her staff is still reviewing options for the Dali building. The final use will depend largely on what the university's needs are at the time.

Potential uses include space for classrooms, faculty offices, research laboratories or a student center.

White said the need will be dictated by the demands of students living in campus housing, which is scheduled to open at the beginning of the 2006-07 school year.

"That's really going to start the ball rolling," White said. "It's going to change the campus immensely."

The Dec. 1 demolition of the arena is scheduled for 7 a.m. Experts will discharge explosives in the roof, collapsing it "like a giant pancake," said Beth Herendeen, general manager of the Bayfront Center.

It won't be as impressive as the demolition of the old Soreno Hotel in downtown St. Petersburg or the giant explosions seen in movies. In fact, there won't be much to see from ground level. Herendeen said the implosion will be best viewed from the top of the Pier or some other above-ground perch.

The rest of the building will be destroyed using wrecking balls and other equipment, she said.

Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 21, 2004, 00:15:26]