Out-of-state firm chosen to build history center

Work could begin this fall on the proposed $17-million museum, which is scheduled to open in 2008.

By JOSH ZIMMER
Published May 10, 2005

TAMPA - An out-of-state firm Monday was tagged to build the $17-million Tampa Bay History Center.

A five-member review committee made E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston the clear choice among four finalists, two of them local companies.

Members cited the firm's experience and ability to build its projects within budget.

"I think when we spend taxpayer money we need a safe choice," History Center president Rob Blount said, noting that E. Verner Johnson knows how to design a museum that will make visitors want to come back.

After years of planning and fundraising, the project appears headed on a fast track, a sharp contrast to delays facing efforts for a new Tampa Museum of Art.

The county hopes to negotiate a contract with E. Verner Johnson by next month, and present it to the County Commission for approval in July, project director Bill Hand said.

The project, slated for a 2.5-acre site behind the St. Pete Times Forum on Garrison Channel, is under a tight budget.

The commission last year put $17-million toward the museum, but $3-million is for engineering the building. That leaves $14-million for construction and architectural fees.

Blount said site work on the proposed 60,000-square-foot building could begin this fall. It is scheduled to open in 2008.

Critics say the county shouldn't be spending community investment tax money on such high-profile projects, and that supporters should have looked more closely at moving from the Tampa Convention Center to the old federal courthouse on Florida Avenue.

The city of Tampa, under prodding by Mayor Pam Iorio, might use the courthouse for the new art museum.

The review committee heard pitches from the four finalists on April 29, after whittling down a list of proposals from 10 architectural firms.

The finalists were Alfonso Architects of Tampa, RBK Architects of Tampa, HOK and E. Verner Johnson, which got top ranking in the first round.

Experience weighed heavily in the final choice, members said. Unlike the other candidates, E. Verner Johnson has been designing museums exclusively since the mid-1970s, and employs a full-time museum expert. Its history centers projects include the Texas State Museum in Austin, the Tubman African American Museum in Macon, Ga., and the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine.

Firm representatives could not be reached for comment.

Eric Kreher, who works with Alfonso Architects, the designer of the new airside at Tampa International Airport, said he is disappointed Alfonso didn't get the contract.

The history center would be better off with local architects, he said.

"You have a better understanding of what the site is like, what the client is all about," he said. "It would have been an excellent project to have."

--Josh Zimmer can be reached at 813 269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 10, 2005, 01:01:05]