May 2009

The Miami City Commission unanimously approved the final lease agreement between the City, the Miami Science Museum and the Miami Art Museum, marking a major milestone in the realization of the project. The City Commission also approved the development agreement and the remediation agreement, supporting environmental assessment and rehabilitation of the site. With these approvals, the Museum is able to receive the next stage of funding from the Miami-Dade County Building Better Communities General Obligation Bonds, allowing the project to move forward into detailed design and development.

February 2009

Miami Science Museum Board of Trustees approved the concept design for the New Museum, allowing the project to proceed to the schematic design phase.

December 2008

Miami City Commissioners accepted the Community Benefits Agreement developed by the Museum Park Community Benefits Committee with input from the Miami Science Museum and other community participants. The Agreement highlights the broad economic benefits resulting from investments in Museum Park, as well as the value of the educational services being offered to the community.

October 2008

Following a competitive selection process, the Museum appointed THInc Design, a leading exhibition design firm based in New York City, to work with Grimshaw Architects on the concept design of the New Museum’s aquarium components.

September 2008

Miami Science Museum Board of Trustees approved a program for the New Museum encompassing 250,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces centered around a “living core” of aquatic and terrestrial exhibits; it includes a permanent and traveling exhibit space, a Learning Center, a Planetarium, an Energy Center, an Entertainment Suite/Studio Theater, a Music and Sound Studio, café and atrium spaces, staff facilities, and back-of-house spaces. 25,000 square feet is allocated for the Historical Museum of South Florida.

June 2008

The Museum was awarded $738,000 from the Department of Energy to carry out the research, design and planning necessary for integrating renewable energy resources and optimal energy efficiencies into the new Museum building. The project will also develop methods of communicating concepts about energy sources and uses to the general public through an outdoor Energy Playground, for which the City of Miami provided match funding and whose components will ultimately move to the new site.

April 2008

Miami Science Museum signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County creating the legal framework for the waterfront park and its two museums, the new Miami Science Museum and the new Miami Art Museum. The County then signed the contract to begin the release of funding from the General Obligation Bond.

May 2007

Following an international search by the Museum’s selection committee and a multi-day public forum, the firm of Grimshaw Architects of London/Melbourne/New York was appointed to design the new Miami Science Museum and the firm of Rodriguez & Quiroga of Miami was appointed to serve as resident Executive Architects.

November 2004

Voters passed a General Obligation Bond, which included the provision of $175 million to create a new Miami Science Museum.

November 2001
Voters passed the City of Miami Homeland Defense/Neighborhood Improvement Bond, which included an award to Miami Science Museum in the amount of $3.5 million in seed money for new projects.