WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — West Palm Beach’s city commission approved the Norton Museum of Art’s proposal to double in size during their regular scheduled meeting on Monday night.
The Norton, one of the largest art museums in Florida, received prior approval to expand more than a decade ago from a previous commission, yet it needed additional approvals after bringing a larger proposal to the city.
WATCH: City's growth leads to expanded museum
The attorney for the museum said the decision to expand was spurred from West Palm Beach’s population growth, which the U.S. Census Bureau estimated increased by 10% since 2020.
“A lot has changed in 11 years,” said Harvey Oyer III, who was the attorney for the Norton Museum of Art. “We never, I don’t think any of us anticipated Brightline and Covid and West Palm Beach becoming what it has become and because of that and because the Norton through its leadership, its board and its donor base have many more great works of art that they would like to share with our community. They would like to educate more of our citizenry and children.”
Ghislain d’Humières, director and CEO for the Norton Museum of Art, said in a written statement that this latest addition would add two buildings connected with a terrace with views of the intracoastal, part of a multiphase expansion plan. He said the museum saw “extraordinary growth” since reopening in 2019.
“We saw record-breaking attendance from both residents and visitors alike,” he said in a written statement. “The Norton is growing alongside this community and we are thrilled to have the unanimous support of the City Commissioners as we move forward.”
According to city staff, the museum was previously approved to build a four-story, 68-foot-high museum building with a gross building area of 171,795 square feet. Under this new plan, the museum will get to expand the current building to 70 feet with an area of around 231,000 square feet, along with a three-level parking garage with enough spots for around 350 vehicles.
Robert Blake said he’s noticed the growth around West Palm Beach due to the amount of signs notifying the public about development proposals and the amount of high rises in the area. He said the growth has attracted some of his family members to look at moving to the area to retire.
“I keep seeing the high rises go up,” Blake said. “It’s interesting my daughter and son-in-law, they’re looking at retirement areas… now they’re looking here.”
