The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement sets opening date for St. Pete debut

The Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement has announced it is opening on Sept. 7.

The five-story, 137,000-square-foot museum in St. Pete was built, at a cost of $90 million, by Tarpon Springs pharmaceutical giant Rodolpho “Rudy” Ciccarello, to display his extensive collection of works from the early 20th century. The construction of the museum, located at the intersection of 4th Street and 3rd Avenue North, started in 2015.

East view of the museum. MAACM.

The museum’s collection features fine and decorative art from from between 1890 and 1930. Over 30 years, Ciccarello has collected over 2,000 objects, creating what is considered to be the most important private collection of the American Arts and Crafts movement in the world, according to the museum’s release.

The Love, Labor, and Art: The Roycroft Enterprise exhibit in the museum. MAACM.

“This museum will be the epicenter for the study of the American Arts and Crafts movement,” Ciccarello said in a prepared statement.

Tampa-based architect Alberto Alfonso worked in close collaboration with Ciccarello.

Images of the museum reveal a grand atrium, skylights and a large spiral staircase. The expansive museum includes more than 40,000-square-feet of gallery space and an outdoor garden with period tiles and fountains.

An image of the winding staircase inside the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. MAACM.

MAACM also has an education studio, graphic studio, retail store, research library, theater, 3,700-square-foot banquet facility, a cafe, and a restaurant called the Ambrosia Bar and Restaurant, which serves American and Italian dishes.

An image of the Ambrosia Bar and Restaurant at the museum. MAACM.

The completion of the museum was delayed for a multitude of reasons including lawsuits and interruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic.

When construction for the museum started six years ago on the 3.2-acre property, the museum executives initially expected to open in 2017.

The northwest view of the museum. MAACM.

In June 2020, executive director Tom Magoulis said, in an interview with the Catalyst, that production delays were keeping the museum from opening, specifically the design and installation of custom-made platforms and vitrines (glass display cases used to house the vintage art).

The new museum is another addition to St. Pete’s thriving museum destination.