New State of the Art Building for Dali Museum Florida

On January 11th, 2011 the new Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida celebrated the Grand Opening of its new building with the Florida Orchestra "Hello Dalí" Celebration and a special gesture from Spain's Princess Cristina who cut the opening ribbon. The museum was originally opened in 1982.  The famous Michelin Guide awarded the museum with the coveted three star rating.

The Museum cost 40 million dollars and is a result of collaboration between Yann Weymouth (architect) and the Beck Group (construction).

The building represents a series of optical illusions, featuring a river of glass that pulls away from the spiral staircase and erups from the roof, cascading down the façade forming a large bulge and continues to flow around the walls. Additionally, rocks were incorporated from Dali's hometown of Cadaqués, Spain to support the corner of the building.

The result is an impressive new landmark building that combines "elements of the classical and the fantastical - much like the work of Dali" (Museum Director Hank Hine)

Additionally, keeping in mind the intense storms known to pass through the Florida coast, the museum was designed to withstand up to a category 5 hurricane, with winds up to 165 miles per hour and surges up to 28 feet. For this reason, the collection is unusually located on the second floor.

The world class building boasts the largest collection of Dali outside of Spain.

The Salvador Dalí Musuem's goal is to promote the understanding and examination of art through the studying of Dalí's works and other artists of similar genre.

Study Spanish in Barcelona, Catalonia, the region where Dali was born.

Learn more about Salvador Dali.

Visit the Dali Museum in Florida:

Regular Hours:

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 10:00am - 5:30pm
• Thursday: 10:00am - 8pm
• Friday & Saturday: 10:00am - 5:30pm
• Sunday: 12 noon – 5:30pm
• The Museum store remains open 1/2 hour after closing on the following days:
• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
• The Museum will be closing at 4:00pm Saturday, January 22, 2011. Last tour at 2:30pm, ticket sales will stop at 3:00pm.