The Museum of Science & History announced April 5 the Neviaser Foundation donated $1 million to the MOSH Genesis capital campaign.
The gift will be honored through the naming of the small traveling exhibition space, which would host a rotating schedule of exhibitions at the museum’s proposed new facility on the Downtown Northbank.
The release said that for Nancy Neviaser Baker and her husband, Robert Baker, supporting the museum’s relocation campaign as a family honors memories made at MOSH when their daughter Jennifer was young, and paves the way for future generations to enjoy similar experiences on a larger scale.
MOSH has operated at 1025 Museum Circle on the Downtown Southbank since 1969.
The museum has said it has outgrown the 77,000-square-foot facility and that building a new museum will significantly expand the organization’s capacity to serve more visitors.
Plans for the new building comprise about 100,000 square feet among three floors, with the option to add 30,000 square feet.
The Downtown Investment Authority board approved the allocation of 2½ acres for the MOSH building and 4.7 acres of surrounding public and communal space in December 2022.
Jacksonville City Council is reviewing legislation for the disposition and development of the property, ground lease of the land, design of the park and the Riverwalk and other agreements.
“The Neviaser family’s experiences at MOSH symbolize what makes a museum like ours so important to the community, and we are honored to have their support as we plan for the future,” Bruce Fafard, CEO of MOSH, said in the release.
