Under a bit of pressure from the citizenry of Tampa, Mayor Pam took to the newspaper Tuesday to present her case for transforming the old federal courthouse into an art museum. In order to better sell her plan, she includes a vision of future downtown Tampa, along with an overhead view (not online) of the proposed “Avenue of the Arts.”
Mayor Pam imagines visitors strolling from Curtis Hixon Park (which is completely redesigned, by the way) past a couple residential projects (one under construction, one still in the planning process), to (take a left on Franklin) Tampa Theater and (head back, then go east one more block on the right) on to the federal courthouse/art museum. All while parking a block southwest of the courthouse/museum.
Without question, this will helps folks to understand what she imagines, and may even sway a few people to her way of thinking. However, the picture is still too small.
Where’s the rest of downtown? What encourages visitors to go from the Convention Center to Curtis Hixon Park? How will History Center and Florida Aquarium visitors make their way to the Avenue of the Arts? It seems Mayor Pam is breaking her “String of Pearls” to locate various attractions willy-nilly. You’ll have to drive from South Downtown to West Downtown!!
But even beyond all that, it is my impression that for Mayor Pam, there are no other options for the museum. She only sees it on the river or at the courthouse. And the river is out of the question. And so the old building is her only acceptable location.
I want to know why.
If you are interested, go to the last meeting tonight at the TBPAC from 6 to 8. Mayor Pam told Steve Otto she will be there.
Justin
4 years ago
Dick Greco once said that putting your foot down is the only way to get anything done in Tampa. Pam is putting her foot down, she wants a legacy. Even if it’s a crappy art museum, she’ll have gotten it done.
tommy
4 years ago
I get that. But it comes across as more sneaky than grandstanding.
If she said “Hey, I don’t like any of the proposals for transforming the courthouse, and the art museum needs a building right away, and this building is available NOW,” I may have been swayed. But to me she seems sneaky.
Let’s just say she’s not a very good foot-putter-downer.
Justin
4 years ago
I totally agree.
I equated her with George Bush’s ‘you’re either with us or against us’ type of political mentality. It’s a big hole to dig and a hard one to get out of. Even though it’s just an art museum, still…
Lisa
4 years ago
The map printed in the Tampa Trib was impossible to read; I gave up trying to understand what she wants where (I haven’t been following this issue that closely). I’m curious to read about what happened at tonight’s meeting.