Walls could soon be coming down on the Downtown Southbank at the closed Museum of Science & History, which is in city permitting review for demolition.
ELEV8 Demolition of Jacksonville is the contractor listed on the permit application to demolish the four-story, 83,299-square-foot building at 1025 Museum Circle at a project cost of $835,000.
ELEV8 intends to demolish the structure and foundation and remove the debris.
The city owns the 7.8 acres where the museum building was developed in 1968. MOSH was founded in 1941 and moved to the Southbank building in 1969.
MOSH closed Sept. 1, 2025, as it raises funds to move to a proposed Northbank facility in the Shipyards area.
The site is next to The Related Group’s land where it intends to build the South Bank Residences 25-story tower and adjacent eight-story residential building and garage.
MOSH said the building was structurally sound but needed extensive updates of its plumbing, wiring and mechanical workings.
On Jan. 12, Downtown Investment Authority CEO Colin Tarbert told the Jacksonville City Council Special Committee on the Future of Downtown that the MOSH building would be returned to city control.
He said DIA staff toured the building and determined it was not salvageable for redevelopment.
Tarbert said DIA was prepared to use its funds for the $835,000 contract to raze the site.
“We think the best thing to do is take down the site and get it ready for redevelopment,” he said.
The new MOSH
The new MOSH site on the Downtown Northbank is part of 8.68 acres on the west bank of Hogans Creek where it meets the St. Johns River, south of VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena and VyStar Ballpark.
In March 2025, Council approved an amended agreement with MOSH, the city and DIA to allow for the new facility’s construction.
Under the agreement, MOSH will construct the building and design a surrounding park, with the city providing $880,000 toward the park’s design.
The city will own the building and lease it to the museum over a 40-year term at $1 per year.
The city will build the park, provide roadway and utility work, and construct a length of the Northbank Riverwalk on the property as part of $20 million in improvements already funded in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
The city has committed an additional $50 million plus the funding for design, and at the time, MOSH had raised $50 million in private donations.
The revised city agreement also includes a requirement for MOSH to demonstrate by February 2026 that it has the funding to launch and substantially complete the construction.
During committee meetings, Council members raised concerns about potential cost overruns and risks for the city if MOSH failed to complete the building or went out of business and had to withdraw from the long-term lease.
Member Ron Salem admonished the museum not to come back to the city for funding to cover any increased costs in the building’s design and construction, saying MOSH instead should either scale down its plans or seek more private funding in that event.
When MOSH announced May 2, 2025, that it was closing Sept. 1, it said it has raised more than $95 million for its new facility. It said it will create 7 acres of “immersive, indoor-outdoor learning experiences” with 105,000 square feet of exhibition space.
MOSH CEO resigns
As of last week, the fundraising is in new hands as MOSH announced Jan. 8 that CEO Alistair Dove had resigned.
In an letter emailed to “our MOSH Family,” museum board Chair Jill Davis said the trustees are grateful for Dove’s leadership for the past two years.
The letter said that effective immediately, Chief Development Officer Maureen Mercho was interim executive director and will remain chief development officer. The search for a new leader of MOSH will start soon.
“For the past three years, Maureen has been a dynamic strategic planner and fundraiser, forging valuable partnerships and engaging donors to better position us for our exciting future. She has played a pivotal role in leading the MOSH Capital Campaign to raise more than $95 million,” Davis said.
In 2023, the new museum was expected to cost $100 million including design, site preparation, construction and exhibition fabrication.