The Jacksonville Fire Museum is moved along Bay Street on March 26. Hygema House Movers Inc. relocated the building from 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd. to 620 E. Bay St. at a cost of $1.23 million. (Photo by Dede Smith)
The Jacksonville Fire Museum inches along Bay Street. (Photo by Dede Smith)
Dirt is placed on the road to help with the move of the station. (Photo by Dede Smith)
It cost the city $1.23 million to move the two-story, 4,800-square-foot museum. (Photo by Dede Smith)
The Jacksonville Fire Museum passes the elevated portion the Hart Bridge ramp. Most of the ramp has been removed with cars traveling at ground level. (Photo by Dede Smith)
Onlookers watch the move. (Photo by Dede Smith)
The city of Jacksonville posted this aerial image on social media of the Jacksonville Fire Museum pulling into its new site near the imploded Berkman Plaza II condominium tower.
The Jacksonville Fire Museum sits on its moving platform March 28. (Photo by Mike Mendenhall)
There is no official date to reopen the museum. (Photo by Mike Mendenhall)
Work to finish installing the Jacksonville Fire Museum on the foundation at its new home at 620 E. Bay St., the future Shipyards West Park, will take until late August, according to the city.
The city Public Affairs Office said in a March 30 email there is no official date to reopen the museum, but it will be at least several months before work and repairs to the facility are complete.
Hygema House Movers Inc. completed the half-mile relocation of the early-1900s building March 27, from the former Kids Kampus at 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd.
The city relocated the historic structure to allow Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan to build his proposed $321 million Four Seasons hotel-anchored development on the 8-acre Kids Kampus site.
It cost the city $1.23 million to move the two-story, 4,800-square-foot museum and the total construction cost has so far been $1.6 million, according to permits issued by the city.
The relocation cost is a city expense in the $114 million public incentives package awarded to Khan’s development company Iguana Investments Florida LLC and approved by City Council in October 2021.
Money for the move was a line-item in the city’s 2021-22 Capital Improvement Plan, but the email says the additional building improvements will be part of the larger Shipyards West design and budget.
The city and Downtown Investment Authority started contract negotiations with Agency Landscape + Planning LLC in February to determine the scope of the park space design.
DIA CEO Lori Boyer said in a March 23 email that the city directed Agency to assume a $2.5 million per acre budget for Shipyards West construction not including the Riverwalk build which is a separate CIP project. Boyer said the design work could take at least nine months.
The museum has been closed for six years because it needs repairs, according to a report by Daily Record news partner News4Jax.com.
