Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff WriterEx-Mayor Sandy Freedman joins those who don't want to move the Museum of Art to the Old Federal Courthouse.
TAMPA - Sandy Freedman said the last time she spoke at a public meeting was 10 years ago, when she was still mayor of Tampa.
Thursday night, she was compelled to break her silence at the Tampa Convention Center. She joined more than 100 people there to hear about Mayor Pam Iorio's proposal to move the Museum of Art to the Old Federal Courthouse downtown on Florida Avenue.
Like most of the people who spoke Thursday, Freedman sounded skeptical.
She questioned whether the price estimates for renovating the courthouse were accurate. She pointed out that rehabilitating the Urban League building in east Tampa and the city's old City Hall had taken much longer than expected and went over budget.
But what steamed her most was Iorio's idea of allowing private developers to build on parkland between the Hillsborough River and Ashley Drive.
"I will come out of retirement if there is a move to sell or long-term lease property to the private sector on the waterfront," Freedman said after the meeting. She said the museum, a public facility, makes more sense on prime waterfront real estate.
A Democrat like Iorio, Freedman served as mayor from 1987 to 1995.
Freedman said she also didn't believe the courthouse would be able to expand over the years to accommodate growth at the museum.
After plans for a $76-million art museum on Ashley Drive designed by renowned architect Rafael Vinoly fizzled over financing problems in April, the city launched a study of the idea of transforming the century-old, shut-down courthouse into a museum.
At the request of museum leaders, the study was expanded to include two sites on Ashley Drive - one perpendicular to the street and another parallel.
The discussion Thursday began at 6 p.m. and ended at 8 p.m.
Iorio did not attend, and could not be reached by telephone afterward. City economic development manager Mark Huey attended the museum meeting to champion Iorio's vision. He described the courthouse museum as a "mini-Metropolitan" anchoring an arts district that would march down Zack Street - reborn as Arts Avenue - to a waterfront park flanked by residences, stores and restaurants.
Money generated by allowing private developers to build on the edges of the park would help pay for upgrades to the park and improvements to Ashley Drive, he said. The old museum would be torn down to provide a view of the University of Tampa from downtown.
Architect Pete Karamitsanis, who led the study of the three sites, followed Huey with an overview of the alternatives.
Preliminary estimates put the price of moving the museum in the courthouse at $26-million to $43.2-million. Building along Ashley Drive would cost about $46.4-million to $56-million. A shotgun-style museum on Ashley would cost $35.3-million to $43.8-million.
During a question-and-answer session, City Council member Linda Saul-Sena asked if additional options for the museum could still be considered. For instance, she said, the museum could be built with residences on top to bring in money for the park and Ashley Drive.
"I dare say, when it's all said and done, the new museum will be as expensive as the Vinoly one," she said. "It's important that we have something we can all embrace."
The crowd burst into applause.
Phillip Crosby, a member of a group of architects working to save Kiley Park, which is next to the 400 North Ashley building, pointed out that the courthouse plan provides no direct street access to a museum cafe or store. Other options, including a design proposed by his group, have those features.
"You're cutting the legs out from under the museum before it's even built because you're cutting out all the revenue-generating programs," he said.
Again, the crowd applauded.
Tampa Museum of Art board member Sara Richter was among the last to speak.
She asked Huey to ask the mayor to come to the next public meeting on the museum locations. It's scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
"I was glad to see that the crowd overwhelmingly opposed taking the museum to the courthouse," said architect John Langley after the meeting.
Langley and other local architects and artists have urged opponents to the courthouse idea to sign a huge wooden sign with the word "NO" painted in red. He took the sign to the courthouse steps Thursday.
Charles Levin is part of a team that wants to put a photography museum, charter school and offices for nonprofit groups in the courthouse. His plans are stalled while the art museum saga plays out.
He urged Iorio to not sacrifice quality in an effort to save money.
"To make a decision over a couple million dollars, or even $5- or $10-million, may not be the best decision over the long run," he said. "If government supports the arts, the arts will support the city."
Janet Zink can be reached at 813 226-3401, or jzink@sptimes.com