Plans to redevelop the former St. Petersburg Science Center reveal a 67,324-square-foot campus that would combine artificial intelligence training, startup incubation and science education on a site that has sat largely vacant since 2014.
City filings show the roughly $25 million project would more than double the size of the existing facility at 7701 22nd Ave. N. and transform the former museum into a hub for workforce training, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
St. Pete for STEAM LLC is seeking approval for museum, educational, office and community assembly uses, along with variances related to building height and parking. The proposal is scheduled to go before the city’s Development Review Commission on June 3.
Plans include a restored planetarium, an AI Village, LaunchAI, conference space, podcast and video production studios, event venues and Class A office space. The project would also include educational facilities, outdoor recreation areas and a rooftop event venue known as the Star Garden.
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The redevelopment would preserve the site’s historic rotunda and Walk of States mosaic trail while expanding the property’s building area from about 26,300 square feet to more than 67,000 square feet. Plans also reserve space for future development on the northwest portion of the property.
The Science Center opened in 1966 as part of a national effort to expand science education during the Cold War. At its peak, the facility served tens of thousands of students annually through field trips, camps and educational programs. Financial struggles eventually forced the center to close in 2014.
The city acquired the property in 2019 and approved its sale to St. Pete for STEAM for $1.6 million last year after years of debate over the site’s future.
Project organizers have said the reimagined campus will focus on emerging technologies, workforce development and entrepreneurship while preserving key elements of the Science Center’s history.
Planning staff recommended approval of the proposal. Organizers broke ground earlier this year and have said they expect the facility to open in 2027.
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