L. Gale Lemerand Wing

The Museum’s new West Wing—renamed the L. Gale Lemerand Wing—opened in fall 2015, completing the final phase of a major multi-stage construction project that also included the new planetarium, launched in 2014. The original West Wing, built on a low area of the property, suffered severe flooding in May 2009 when heavy rains filled the 20,000-square-foot space with several inches of water. Although staff quickly removed artworks and some areas were later refurbished, much of the wing remained unusable.

 

A state report recommended demolishing and rebuilding the structure at a higher elevation to prevent future flooding, and with support from Congressman John Mica, the Museum secured FEMA funding to make reconstruction possible. The new West Wing was completely reimagined with a contemporary, streamlined design that offers visitors a clearer sense of orientation than the former hexagonal pod layout.

 

Today, the L. Gale Lemerand Wing houses six distinctive galleries: the main hall; the Karshan Center of Graphic Art; the Cuban Museum, home to the most significant collection of Cuban paintings in the United States; the Elaine and Thurman Gillespy Jr. Gallery of Sub-Saharan African artifacts; the Mary Louise Marzullo Gallery of global weaponry; and the Prehistory of Florida Gallery, featuring the Giant Ground Sloth and other natural history specimens.