VBMA New Building & Campus Transformation

The Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA)’s new expanded home and transformed campus in Riverside Park, along the Indian River Lagoon on Florida’s Treasure Coast, marks the most comprehensive upgrade and expansion in the Museum’s 40-year history. Interweaving art and nature, the new building more than doubles the Museum’s exhibition space, features a new education wing with purpose-built studios, and an integrated series of gardens, terraces, and courtyards for art viewing, art-making, and community gathering. The project advances VBMA’s mission to serve as a dynamic and welcoming arts center for the Vero Beach community and for visitors from throughout the region and country.

Architects

Allied Works, Design Architect& Architect of Record

Unknown Studio Landscape Architecture & Urban Design, Landscape Architect

 

Project Groundbreaking

November 2025

 

Total Square Footage

90,000 square feet

 

Project Breakdown

New construction: 68,000 square feet

Total gallery space: 22,000 square feet

Terraces (3) and courtyards (7): 14,400 square feet

Existing building to remain for art storage, shipping, receiving: 22,000 square feet

 

Project Features

Terraced landscaping elevates the Museum to ensure resilience and sustainability of the institution and the collection

More than double the existing gallery space for permanent collection display and temporary exhibitions

Terraces and seven outdoor courtyards, extending the Museum’s programming space and creating connections between art and landscape

Education wing to better accommodate high-demand arts education programming, featuring

·        Painting, drawing, and ceramics studios

·        Student exhibition spaces

·        Administrative offices

Purpose-built spaces for public programs, community gathering, and events, including:

·        A flexible auditorium and a community room, with an adjacent event terrace, which can beopened to create space for larger events and programs

·        A café with a dedicated courtyard and a museum store

·        Rooftop terrace with views overlooking the Indian River Lagoon

Project Cost

$85 million in hard costs

 

Sustainability

The Museum is designed in alignment with the Vero Beach Museum’s sustainability and performance requirements. It is currently targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification under the LEED v4 BD+C New Construction rating system.

 

VBMA Leadership

Brady Roberts, Executive Director and CEO

Rick Segal, Chair of the Board of Trustees and Building Co-Chair

Charlie Bailey, Building Co-Chair

 

Project Design Team

Allied Works: Brad Cloepfil; Chelsea Grassinger; Gabriel Smith; Dan Koch; Rachel Massey; Emily Kappes; Maria Stanciu; Hannah Bacon; Jeremy Son; Paul Tierman; John Bohlmeyer; Kayci Gallagher; Leslie Dougrou; China Carr; Selena Linkous; Kelsey Olafson

Unknown Studio Landscape Architecture & Urban Design: Claire Agre, Nick Glase, Emily Scott, Saeed Piracha, Dana Kash, David Zielnicki, Sophie Pawlak, Vincent Javet, Paul Drummond, Madison Miller, Brittany Giunchigliani, Hanzhang Xiao

 

Project Collaborators

Civil Engineer: Kimley Horn

Structural Engineer: TYLin

Concrete: Reg Hough Associates

MEP+FP Engineer: Arup

Lighting and Daylighting Design: Arup

Sustainability Consultant: Atelier 10

Theater Design: Fisher Dachs

Interiors and FF&E: Allied Works

Signage: Pentagram

Envelope: Front

Acoustics/AV: Jaffe Holden

Code: CCI

Specifications: Michael Thrailkill

Security: Shen Milsom & Wilke

Food Service: JGL & JDB

Owner Rep: Accenture

PreCon: Turner

Cost Estimating: Venue

                       

Media Contacts

Resnicow and Associates

JulietSorce / Chelsea Beroza / Alex Klimoski / Lauren Kelly

212-671-5165/ 212-671-5165 / 212-671-5184 / 212-671-5185

VBMA@resnicow.com

 

Vero Beach Museum of Art

Suzanne Seldes, Deputy Director

772-231-0707

sseldes@vbmuseum.org