JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — On Monday, the Museum of Science & History (MOSH) announced that Shahid Khan, owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, committed a $5 million gift to the MOSH Genesis capital campaign.
The campaign is seeking to build a new museum on the Shipyards property in Downtown Jacksonville. It's the largest private donation towards those efforts to date.
Khan said the new museum “would be a spectacular addition to Downtown Jacksonville” and that the donation will help the organization accomplish its goals of making the area more vibrant.
Last month, MOSH announced plans to build the new facility at the Downtown Jacksonville Shipyards property rather than renovate and expand its current Southbank location. The museum had announced plans for an $80 million 'MOSH 2.0' upgrade in 2019 for its 50-year-old campus near the Friendship Fountain.
Some ideas for the new facility include a walk-through aquifer and water quality biolab.
Preliminary design and construction projections for the museum's new location indicate a 2024 opening.
Last week, our news partners at The Florida Times-Union reported that Khan has plans to build a Four Seasons hotel in the downtown area that currently is the site of Metropolitan Park.
The 177-room hotel would be part of a larger riverfront development on the Metropolitan Park site that is near the Lot J site that Khan and The Cordish Companies want to develop by the football stadium.
The Lot J project would have a mix of an entertainment district, apartment buildings, office space and a hotel. The hotel on Lot J would not be the Four Seasons brand.