Springfield Art Museum renovation doubles in scope, price ahead of fall closure

The most recent designs for Springfield Art Museum's renovation have doubled the scope of the project, which aims to transform the museum into a modern civic asset and a "third place" for the community. With the larger scope, the cost of the project has also increased two-fold, leaving the future of the first phase of construction uncertain.

The renovations seek to modernize the space, expand educational and community programming spaces, connect the museum to local parks and trails and make overall upgrades to the building, which has seen minimal improvements over the years, with the oldest parts now 70 years old. The project seeks to balance infrastructure necessities with the spaces desired for the museum to fulfill its role in Springfield. Work on the grounds, including the naturalization of Fassnight Creek, and updates to the parking lots have already been underway.

The most recently updated schematic design includes an overhaul of the museum's climate control system, a new open-concept lobby and visitor lounge, a large high-ceiling art gallery, expanded education spaces and a large volume, two-story gallery on the southeast side that will serve as a beacon for the museum. Compared to the initial designs from 2018, the new plans include more gallery space and more education spaces by the entrance.

"We'll expand what we're able to show so that our ambitions are no longer limited by the height of our walls or the width of our door," museum director Nick Nelson said, noting that currently the closest gallery of this size is in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Three options for construction phases

The construction of initial renovations and updates is set to begin January 2025. That deadline is a vital one to reach for the museum to not lose out on American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that must be spent by December 2026. The city has awarded the museum $3 million in ARPA funds to go toward an education wing, with the same amount coming from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. As of Feb. 14, only 8% of the city's allotment was spent.

Nelson, alongside representatives from BNIM, one of the architecture groups on the project, presented the vision and the different construction phasing options to Springfield City Council on Tuesday. After doubling the scope, the total cost of the entire project is estimated at almost $50 million.

While the end goal remains the same for each option, the approaches differ in where they start and the extent of work the first phase will entail.

Approach A is the most limited in its first phase — including renovations and additions to the gallery walk, education suite, Fassnight Creek boardwalk, temporary office suite and ADA accessible restrooms. This approach does not address any of the aging mechanical plant needs. The cost of the first phase using this approach would total just over $13 million.

The second approach would complete the first phase to a desired level. It would include everything approach A would plus the high-volume gallery space that would replace the current auditorium, curatorial workspaces, a reconfigured loading dock and a mechanical central plant. This would bring the total cost of the first phase to around $26 million. Josh Harrold, principal at BNIM, said this approach also has limited site impacts in terms of the entrance and parking lot compared to the final design.

"Approach B really sets us up for the future, resolves a whole lot of problems with the building but doesn't sacrifice that bigger vision should we be able to achieve that in the future," Nelson said.

The third approach includes the entire design into one construction phase. Only the final vision would move the educational spaces to the front of the museum.

Nelson said the art museum is not only a community asset but also a tourism draw that brings more people to Springfield to spend their money. In this sense, the project is a long-term investment in bringing in more visitors and community members alike for years to come.

Museum upgrades a costly endeavor

Cost could be the determining factor. For the first approach the city would have to finance $1.5 million, which would mean annual payments of $110,000 for 21 years. Approach B would require annual payments of $1.22 million for 16 years, as $14.5 million would have to be bonded.

David Holtman, city's director of finance, said for approach A the debt payments could be made using general revenue funds or funds from the 1/4-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax. For the second option, he said the only option for the debt payments would be to use the sales tax funds. Funding of the entirety of the project would require a new revenue source.

While council gave the green light for the museum to seek a full design for the entirety of the project to allow flexibility later on, Mayor Ken McClure remained hesitant about committing to the large sums of financing necessary. Nelson said the project has received over $6 million in private donations, lagging behind the scope and readiness of the vision.

"The challenge is the dollar, that is not insignificant," McClure said. "$6 million in private contributions, I frankly hoped it would've been a little larger at this point."

Councilman Craig Hosmer emphasized the need to dream big and consider the full scope of the project.

"It's something that ... sort of softens and sophisticates people a little bit," he said. "I think it's one of those things that we talk about making our city better. There's a lot of value that you can't put on a ledger sheet that an art museum brings."

More: With pension sales tax due to expire, City Council considers taking new tax to voters

Calie Holden, chair of the Art Museum Board, asked council to consider finding more funding sources to support the museum's expansion and upgrades, such as the proposed 3/4-cent sales tax that has been a point of debate among council members. The current 3/4-cent sales tax dedicated to the Police and Fire Pension Fund is set to expire March 31, 2025. A replacement tax has been discussed as a way to fund a plethora of city projects, including parks, capital improvements and others including the art museum. The council has yet to reach a consensus on sending a sales tax proposal to voters.

Councilwoman Monica Horton said the 3/4-cent sales tax could be an avenue to ensure the museum has funding to fulfill its vision, if the council and voters find common ground and advocate for it that way.

The art museum will be closing in September to prepare for construction, with expectation that it could take up to two years until construction is completed. Before the end of the year, council will have to decide on which approach to take ahead of construction.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield Art Museum renovation plans expand ahead of construction