The current meeting of the minds between Mayor Iorio and the Tampa Museum of Art about locating the new museum in the Cube/Beer Can Building at Kennedy and Ashley on the rivers seems like a wonderful solution to a lot of problems - but only on the surface.
The building is an architecturally well designed place with a lot of vacancies that needs something there. The Museum really wants to be on the river and since their current location has a date with the wrecking ball, an immediate decision is important to them. The Mayor is trying to regain some of her lost political capital because of the animosity her stands including a recommendation to put the museum in the old federal courthouse have generated.
TAMPAGOLD.COM has clearly been on the record of supporting the retention and renovation of Kiley Gardens, so this new, compromise location would seem perfect. But, it is not.
If you examine previous discussions, it is clear that the square footage is not adequate. Parking does not look adequate. Lighting in the cube is really great - but not for an art museum. Wall space/display space is not adequate. The costs are being evaluated, but they will probably exceed the costs available for a new museum.
The Mayor's idea of a large park space for events that would include the proposed Riverwalk, the current Curtis Hixon Park, and the current to be cleared museum site; could bring more people to the Tampa downtown. St.Petersburg's Ribfest this past weekend shows what a large, open air space can do for a city. But as far as the Tampa Museum of Art is concerned, it is time to keep looking for a suitable space. We wish the current "choice of the day" would work, but after examining their previous concerns and requests; it is clear that it just won't.
2 comments:
You want a good museum? Understand that it will not pay for itself, and that projected costs don't seem to include the cost for an extensive art collection, or the cost of restoration and maintenance of the art. "Modern" art will not create interest in the museum, nor will it give it the "gravitas" that so many are so fond of. Much of the older artwork, bronzes, and statuary raped from "The Old World" during the different wars--are in poor condition, if they are available at any cost. That means they need restoration, which is paid for by the square millimeter. Big Money. Restoration is also one of the "conditions" to be met with donated collections in many, if not most cases.
As far as the location, the taxpayers in the City and County demand accountability and a least a modicum of honesty. Land must be aquired in such a way that speculators can't profit from it. I believe that the land opposite of the PAC would be perfect, but an entire school and other things would have to be built elsewhere and exchanged to get it. If you want to create an atmosphere appropriate for a really "nifty" riverwalk, the property should be an extension of the Tampa University campus on both sides of the river--with all of the surrounding areas "cleaned-up" for safety and appearance. "Chunks" scattered on one side of the river doesn't cover it. Most probably, a coherent public/private mix from the Tampa College to the School for the Performing Arts, with land-scaping, lighting, police presence, and public services is the most appropriate. Again, really big money.
It is my belief that the drive to bring the Olympics to Tampa was a means to pre-empt all of the land upon which the "poor" and "working poor" live upon without the "race card" being played--just like in Atlanta. It would have probably involved much of the length of the river and much of the area extending from channelside through the port, and inland to the old rail-road depot. A complete revamping of the waterfront, and incidently, getting rid of the "poor people". Tampa would have been mortgaged for 50 years.
Okay, I'm a dummy. I checked the "RiverWalk" site, and see that that is still the plan. They are doing the little strip of land right on the water, for now. When they come up with an appropriate excuse to tear everything down inland, and displace the poor and public housing people, then they will probably tear a few sections up and put in a marina and condo complex near the pretty-fied port--or up-river. People love to look at Yachts. Quirky little restaurants with appropriate themes do very well in that environment. They will need the tax-base and the foot traffic a "gentrified" marina would provide.
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