The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg is planning a major expansion, with construction expected to begin in 2026 and the new facility expected to open in 2028.
The museum said the roughly 35,000-square-foot expansion, expected to cost $65 million, is designed to expand exhibition space, create a dedicated learning center and introduce new immersive experiences that combine art with digital technology. The project will be designed and built by the Beck Group, which also built the museum’s current building, which opened in 2011.
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Founded in 1982, the museum has one of the largest collections of works by Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí outside of Spain. According to the agency, it has welcomed more than 10 million visitors since its opening.
Executive Director Hank Hine described the expansion as a way to accommodate a growing audience and deepen the museum’s education programs. “It’s not about getting bigger, it’s about getting bolder,” Hein said in a statement announcing the project. “This next chapter allows us to transcend our existing limitations and create space, intellectually and physically, for deeper learning, more ambitious experiences, and broader exposure.”
The expansion will introduce a flexible gallery environment for experiential exhibitions, a new learning center serving K-12 students and adult learners, and additional community-focused spaces designed for cultural programming and events. The design, dubbed “Reveal” by the architects, will reinterpret elements of the museum’s existing structure while incorporating new architectural features.
Trevor Lanphier, head of design at Baker Group, said the building’s appearance would be “full of anticipation”, encouraging visitors to stop and take a closer look at the building, echoing Dalí’s own visual strategy.
The project will also involve consultation with architect Yann Weymouth, who designed the museum’s original 2011 building.
Funding for the expansion includes early support from the St. Pete-Clearwater Visitors Bureau through its Visitors with Love initiative, which reinvests tourism development tax revenue in the county.
Museum officials said the institution will remain open during construction. A 3D model of the proposed extension will be displayed on May 2 as part of an exhibition examining the architectural evolution of the building.
