The Dalí Museum announced plans for a transformative expansion. In step with the Tampa Bay region’s explosive growth, this new addition will significantly expand the Museum’s capacity to promote lifelong learning, bringing state-of-the-art immersive experiences to engage and uplift the community.

Since opening in St. Petersburg in 1982, The Dalí has welcomed and inspired more than ten million visitors. Following the debut of its landmark building in 2011, the Museum generated over $1 billion in economic impact for the area, solidifying its role as a global destination for groundbreaking interdisciplinary programming, innovation and scholarship.

Rooted in Salvador Dalí’s demonstration that the world cannot be understood from a single perspective, the expansion reimagines in concrete, steel and digital delivery what a museum can be—creating more inclusive, inspiring environments for growth, dialogue and connection. Long anticipated by the community, it will position the Museum to better serve both local audiences and visitors from around the world in the years ahead.

“We are creating a museum that will stand with the great cultural institutions of the world, prepared to meet the expectations of today’s visitors and the curiosity of those who will walk through these doors decades from now,” said Hank Hine, Executive Director of The Dalí Museum. “This is a defining moment for our institution and for St. Petersburg. It’s not about being bigger; it’s about being bolder. For more than four decades, The Dalí has led through innovation, empowering visitors to see differently and think expansively. 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.”

Designing the Museum of the Future

The Beck Group, which constructed the Museum’s landmark 2011 building, has been selected to design and build the expansion. The firm brings deep familiarity with the site and a longstanding partnership with The Dalí. During the design of the expansion, Beck Architecture consulted with internationally recognized architect Yann Weymouth, FAIA, of PBK, architect of the Museum’s original award-winning building, to ensure continuity across the institution.

The expansion introduces a striking new exterior, flexible gallery environments for experiential exhibitions that blend art and technology, a dedicated learning center serving K-12 students and lifelong learners and community-focused spaces designed to support, host and animate social, corporate and cultural events. Together with the Museum’s existing galleries, theater, dome and Avant-garden, the addition will create a dynamic campus that reflects how guests engage with art today and in the future. These spaces will form a vibrant hub where curiosity and empathy thrive, inviting visitors of all ages to experience art as an active, shared journey.

“The exterior design, what we call Reveal, plays with expectation,” said Trevor Lamphier, AIA, Design Principal at The Beck Group. “It extends and reinterprets the existing building, using familiar materials in new ways to create moments of discovery. Like Dalí’s work, the architecture invites a double take, rewarding curiosity and encouraging visitors to slow down and look again. This expansion is about creating an environment that inspires wonder, deepens engagement and strengthens the Museum’s role as an anchor for the community.”

The approximately 35,000-square-foot expansion represents an estimated $65 million investment in the Museum’s future, including early support from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater through its From Visitors with Love initiative, a direct reinvestment of tourist development tax (hotel bed tax) funds, as a testament to Pinellas County’s commitment to arts, innovation and cultural vitality. Groundbreaking is anticipated in fall 2026. The Dalí will remain open throughout construction and plans to open its expanded spaces in 2028.

“The Dalí Museum is a cultural engine for this community and a cornerstone of St. Petersburg’s global identity,” said Brian Lowack, President and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. “Investments like this strengthen the identity that defines our region and attracts visitors from around the world.”