The 25-year-old St. Petersburg Pier Aquarium is moving, expanding and rebranding, bringing the new Secrets of the Sea Marine Exploration Center and Aquarium concept to John's Pass Village in Madeira Beach.
Slated to open by November 2013, Secrets of the Sea will be the anchor attraction at
John's Pass Village on Gulf Boulevard and 129th Avenue in Madeira Beach, featuring a broader, more technology-focused marine exploration concept.
Construction on the 13,500-square-foot, approximately $4 million facility began on April 23rd.
“The
Pier Aquarium has been bursting at the seams for a long time while the public's interest in the ocean environment, cutting-edge technology and marine science continues to grow,” says Pier Aquarium President and CEO Howard Rutherford of the 2,000-square-foot St. Pete facility. “The unknown future of The Pier created an extraordinary opportunity for a bold, new approach to the Aquarium's mission.”
The Pier Aquarium will close on May 31.
Rutherford plans for Secrets of the Sea to become one of an epicenter for marine research and one of Madeira Beach's premier attractions, bringing the public together with state-of-the-art marine research, innovation and technology interactive experiences.
Various marine-related activities, aquariums, galleries and exhibits developed by the
St. Petersburg Ocean Team will focus on research concepts in a fun, explanatory fashion; exhibits include Essential Estuaries, Touch Tampa Bay, Fish at Risk, Corals on Acid, Crustacean Station and Moon Jellyfish.
Local design-build team
Biltmore Construction and
Harvard Jolly Architects are working on the construction of the two-story structure with
Lexington Design and Fabrication designing and building innovative Mystery Stations throughout the center, showcasing how several sea habitats and lifeforms are benefiting from some of the ocean's unsolved mysteries.
“We hope to create a new generation of environmental stewards,” Rutherford says.
A public/private partnership between John's Pass Village owner
AEGON USA Realty Advisors,
Enterprise Florida's State Small Business Credit Initiative and a local lender, the new aquarium space was recently endorsed by Madeira Beach Mayor Travis Palladeno.
Additionally, a collective hotel partnership called the Secrets Premier Hotelier Group has been instrumental in helping Secrets of the Seas achieve its capital campaign target to begin construction, agreeing to provide in excess of $100,000 over the next five years in support of the new marine attraction.
The partnership includes
TradeWinds Island Resort and Guy Harvey Outpost,
St. Pete Beach Sirata Beach Resort and Conference Center,
Lowes Don CeSar Hotel,
Postcard Inn,
Dolphin Beach Resort,
Bilmar Beach Resort,
Grand Plaza Resort Hotel,
Alden Suites,
Sunset Vistas Beachfront Suites,
Beachcomber Beach Resort and Hotel,
Plaza Beach Resorts and
Barefoot Beach Hotel.
Secrets of the Sea is expected to generate nearly 250,000 visitors annually and pump $8 million into the local economy, reaching more than 40,000 students from six different countries.
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Howard Rutherford,
Pier Aquarium
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.