Pinellas County is seeking ideas on what to do with the former GCMA building located in the Pinewood Cultural Park in Largo.
When the community opened the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo 11 years ago, it brought a cultural experience that breathed life into the heart of Pinellas County.
The 60,000-square-foot facility that now stands empty boasted award-winning architecture that housed permanent and visiting exhibits, workshops and studios.
County officials want the complex to be given back to the community and they are reaching out for ideas on how to breathe life back into it.
“This museum is the culmination of the vision of two generations, and now, for it to be empty and not vibrant, is sad,” said Judith Powers, director of Pinellas County Cultural Affairs. “We have this beautiful facility which should be brought back to life.”
The museum started as the Belleair Art Center, located in the small town of Belleair, where artists flocked to attend and teach art classes. The non-profit organization wanted to take the museum to the next level.
“It took many years and a lot of support,” said Powers. “It has a huge history and it’s just waiting for the next chapter to be written.”
The former museum is located on the grounds of the Pinewood Cultural Park, which presents a unique opportunity. The museum space includes exhibit areas, studios, classrooms, a climate-controlled storage vault, an auditorium, executive suite, administrative offices and adjacent areas perfect for sculpture gardens.
Natural lighting, enhanced by skylights and graceful, arching ceilings, creates an open-air ambience throughout the facility and aids in the appreciation of the natural beauty of the 2.833 acres of rose-lined pathways, idyllic gardens and dense Florida-native foliage.
The adjoining Florida Botanical Gardens lead to the historic, pine-shaded Heritage Village, the county Extension gardens and along environmentally sensitive wetlands and protected habitat, with county parks on the north and south periphery of the campus.
With the museum as an anchor, Pinewood Cultural Park became a favorite destination in the last 11 years, marketed worldwide as a cultural arts center, where nature, art and history come together.
The community would love the facility to continue to be the cultural enhancement for which it was intended, a sentiment that gave impetus to the recent decision to turn to the community for innovative ideas, officials said.
Highlights
The building is located at 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo, FL 33778, located in the unincorporated area of Pinellas County.
It is about 3.44 miles to the Gulf of Mexico; 9.36 miles to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and 20.21 miles to Tampa International Airport
Gallery and museum building: 11,900 square feet
Studio buildings: 6,900 square feet
Auditorium: 2,000 square feet, 102 seats
Connector building: 4,000 square feet
Administration building: 5,500 square feet
Other amenities
Award-winning architecture
Reception area
Library/board room
Exhibit storage vault, climate controlled
Loading dock
Two photography dark rooms with revolving doorway
Sculpture garden area
Gift shop and café facilities
For more information, contact Pinellas County Real Estate Management Department, Real Property Division at 727-464-3496.
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