Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement Takes Step Forward
Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Times:
Construction of the $70 million Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in downtown St. Petersburg (FL) is about to start. Work was expected to start in January, but the permits were not ready until Monday, according to the city’s construction services and permitting office.
“Mobilization has begun,” said Rudy Ciccarello, the businessman and collector who is spearheading the project at Fourth Avenue N, between Third and Fourth streets.
In an email to the Tampa Bay Times, the museum’s founder said construction is expected to take 24 to 26 months.
In November, the museum announced that it had signed a contract with Gilbane Construction for the much-anticipated project designed by architect Alberto Alfonso of Alfonso Architects in Tampa.
The five-story, 137,000-square-foot facility will house Ciccarello’s vast collection of furniture, pottery, tile, metalwork, lighting, photography and other decorative arts from the American Arts and Crafts movement.
The more than $70 million construction cost does not include the $16 million already spent to acquire 3.2 acres of prime property in St. Petersburg’s downtown, construction of the museum’s parking garage, architectural, consulting fees, and permitting.
The new museum will include a 100-seat auditorium, a resource library, children’s education center and gallery, and a graphic studio and darkroom facilities.
Also planned are an upscale destination restaurant, museum café, retail store, and event spaces for weddings, corporate events, and private parties.
According to Tom Magoulis, Executive Director of Two Red Roses Foundation, “Now that museum building construction has begun, laser-like attention is being paid to the interior spaces and galleries with major progress being made. Design consultants from Boston, working hand in-hand with founder Rudy Ciccarello, Alfonso Architects, High Country Cabinets of Colorado, and DKT Lighting, New York, are refining cabinets, fixtures and lighting design elements in the museum store, restaurant and café. Their combined efforts are producing amazing results all calculated to entertain and enhance the visitor experience.
“In addition, MAACM has brought on board an Executive Chef consultant and a Kitchen Design firm to layout and design the restaurant kitchen and bar, café, and event and private function areas. These are critical decisions that will lay the groundwork for a smooth and efficient operation for both visitors, customers, and staff all carefully designed to make MAACM a must see destination when visiting St. Petersburg, Florida.”
For additional information, please go to www.tworedroses.com.
