Construction to Begin on Mobile Maritime Museum

04/16/2009

By Dan Carsen

Though ground wasn’t actually broken with a shovel as is usually the case, Alabama officials including the governor, U. S. congressmen and local leaders expressed optimism about the coming GulfQuest maritime museum at a recent groundbreaking on Mobile’s waterfront.

Technically it was a “keel-laying” ceremony: the 90,000-sq-ft museum will be in the shape of a container ship at the Michael C. Dow Landing.

“It’s a key part of the downtown Mobile revitalization effort,” says Stephanie Bradford, the museum’s campaign coordinator. “GulfQuest will be one more piece of the puzzle – a compelling reason for people to stay one or two nights, as opposed to just being day-travelers.” 

Cost estimates for the museum, formerly called the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, put the total at $36 million, though it could be less as contractors offer lower bids in lean economic times. The cost will be split between the city of Mobile, which will own the building, and the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico board, which will operate the museum under the directorship of Tony Zodrow, former CEO of Birmingham’s McWane Science Center. The board’s “Charting the Course” capital campaign has already raised $7.6 million from individuals, families, corporations, and foundations. GulfQuest also receives funding from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Many of the exhibits will rely on NOAA data.  

Hoar Program Management, a division of Hoar Construction LLC, will build the structure, which will also house a ferry terminal. Watermark Design, a subsidiary of Thompson Engineering, designed the building. Lyons/Zaremba, the firm responsible for exhibits at the Tennessee Aquarium and other attractions, is designing the exhibits.

They will cover early settlements and trade routes, marine archeology and shipwrecks, Gulf wildlife, hurricanes, maritime commerce, shipbuilding, navigation, and resource extraction. Remaining bids will be accepted this summer, when construction will begin in earnest. The museum is scheduled to open in spring 2011.

At the April 9 keel-laying, Governor Bob Riley and others said they expected the museum to play a central role in drawing travelers to Mobile’s waterfront, similar to developments in Chattanooga and Baltimore.

More News>>