The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg is planning a major expansion expected to begin construction in 2026, with the new facilities slated to open in 2028.
The museum said the approximately 35,000-square-foot addition will cost an estimated $65 million and is intended to grow the exhibition spaces, create a dedicated learning center, and introduce new immersive experiences combining art and digital technology. The project will be designed and built by the Beck Group, which also constructed the museum’s current building that opened in 2011.
Founded in 1982, the museum holds one of the largest collections of works by the Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí outside Spain. According to the institution, it has welcomed more than 10 million visitors since opening.
Executive director Hank Hine described the expansion as a way to accommodate growing audiences and deepen the museum’s educational programming. “It’s not about being bigger; it’s about being bolder,” Hine said in a statement announcing the project. “This next chapter allows us to move beyond existing limitations and create space, intellectually and physically, for deeper learning, more ambitious experiences and broader access.”
The expansion will introduce flexible gallery environments 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, referred to by the architects as “Reveal,” will reinterpret elements of the museum’s existing structure while incorporating new architectural features.
Trevor Lamphier, a design principal at the Beck Group, said the building’s exterior will “play with expectation,” encouraging visitors to pause and look more closely at the architecture in a way that echoes Dalí’s own visual strategies.
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 Visit St. Pete-Clearwater through its “From Visitors with Love” initiative, which reinvests revenue from the county’s tourist development tax.
Museum officials said the institution will remain open throughout construction. A 3D model of the proposed expansion will go on view May 2 as part of an exhibition examining the building’s architectural evolution.
