Tampa Museum of Art expansion begins with new dog park downtown

A new dog park coming to downtown Tampa will herald the first visible steps in the Tampa Museum of Art’s highly anticipated expansion.

This month, construction crews will begin relocating the Tampa Dog Run at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to make way for the museum to more than triple its existing footprint, according to a statement, It’s the first physical transformation to come from the museum’s Centennial Capital Campaign for expansion, an effort launched in 2020 to celebrate the institution’s 100th anniversary.

“This marks an important milestone in our Centennial Expansion,” Michael Tomor, the Penny and Jeff Vinik Executive Director at the Tampa Museum of Art, says in the statement from the museum. “It opens the way for the physical groundwork to begin for inviting spaces that reflect our city’s interest in the arts and support meaningful cultural experiences.”

Construction of a replacement dog park is expected to take four to five months, the museum says, and the existing dog park won’t be closed until the new dog park is completed. The new park, between Curtis Hixon Waterfront park and Kiley Gardens, will feature separate, enclosed spaces for small dogs and large dogs.

Image courtesy of the Tampa Museum of Art

The new location and larger square footage will also make the park more accessible for the growing number of residents in Tampa’s downtown. The small dog park will be an estimated 1,980-square-feet and the large dog park will be an estimated 4,500 square feet.

The dog park is designed by the same team behind the museum’s expansion – New York-based design team Weiss/Manfredi. That team created the design for another highly-trafficked, urban dog park: Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park in New York City.

Image courtesy of the Tampa Museum of Art

Full construction on the museum’s expansion is slated to begin in the fall, with a formal ground-breaking ceremony planned for early October.

First announced in November 2021, the Tampa Museum of Art is looking to more than triple its existing space with a nearly 78,000 square-foot expansion. The finished project is envisioned to mimic a crystalline pier that extends the museum to the edge of the Hillsborough River. Inside will be a new 150-seat, raked-floor auditorium, an art lounge, a large indoor event space and a proposed rooftop event space. Outdoor “sculpture terraces” will bring art to the public spaces along Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and the Tampa Riverwalk.

Construction of the project, managed by The Beck Group, is expected to take at least two years to complete.

Image courtesy of the Tampa Museum of Art

The museum’s fundraising efforts have brought in more than $100 million in public and private funding, the announcement says. Those efforts will continue during construction and will include naming opportunities for the relocated dog park. 

"Our Centennial Campaign has focused solely on the future of the Museum in service to the Tampa Bay community," Cornelia Corbett, Campaign Chairwoman, says in the announcement. "The construction of the dog park is the first step to bringing the dream of a world-class Museum to Tampa."

Construction of the new dog park will not affect access to the Tampa Riverwalk or the city of Tampa Parks office, the museum says, and public restrooms will remain available.