The Rollins Museum of Art (RMA) is ready to hit the ground running on a new $30 million dollar building that representatives claim will reinvent the cultural life of the Winter Park community as well as the Rollins College community.
The 31,000-square-foot facility will be built around the Alfond Inn as a piece of Rollins’ “Innovation Triangle,” connecting the new RMA to Crummer Graduate School of Business and the Inn. The project, originated by Fredrick Fisher and Partners, will cover an auditorium, classrooms, and a bigger gallery space, as well as a designated section for events targeted toward being inclusive to Rollins students and the rest of the community.
For Executive Director Leslie Anderson, whose tenure began this year, this blueprint acts as a turning point. “I see it as a more accessible space with greater flexibility in serving audiences,” Anderson said. “It will remain deeply connected to the campus as a site for object-based learning, but it also makes the organization more visible to the broader community.”
Broadening Scope
The new setting for the building is predicted to make RMA a cultural reporter for the downtown area of Winter Park. Anderson said that its position inside the Innovation Triangle will hearten partnership across areas, painting the portrait of the museum as a potential “convener of community.”
“Academic museums can be an entry point for the public to the college,” she said. “This new site will make that role visible in ways it hasn’t been before.”
This program will also give RMA the chance to make its collection visible, host larger traveling exhibitions, and start new programming. Anderson highlighted the event spaces as well as the auditorium, which will back interdisciplinary and experimental work.
“I have a very expansive view of what museums do,” she said. “With this facility, we’ll be able to explore art through multiple lenses and demonstrate its relevance across every subject.”
Funding and Design
The development has an estimate of a 30-million-dollar sticker price, backed in part by grant of county tourism development. Rollins is also counting on private philanthropy to get to the goal of fundraising.
Anderson gave credit to the choice of Frederick Fisher and Partners – who are recognized for making museums and buildings for universities nationwide – giving reassurance that the building has a healthy balance between preservation, education, and use for the community.
Obstacles Awaiting Us
With the construction planning to occur in the beginning of Fall 2025, and planning to take up to two years, the representatives of RMA have acknowledged the obstacles that come with this exciting project. Parking and traffic are top concerns for Winter Park residents, including those who have shared input on potential locations, such as the redevelopment of the old library.”
“These concerns are at the front of mind as we move forward with city planners,” Anderson said. “We want to address potential impacts thoughtfully while bringing real benefits to Winter Park.”
The remaking and relocation of the RMA’s collection will come with thoughtful planning. Anderson said that her focus is to make sure the museum will continue to be of aid for students, as well as the rest of the community, during the new phase.
Long-Term Goals
Looking over organization, Anderson framed the blueprint as a chance to extend RMA’s influence at Rollins College, in Central Florida, and even more.
“Art has the power to transform lives, “she said. “Ten years from now, I want the museum to be a place of intellectual stimulation, conversation, reflection, and healing, a space that inspires discovery long after visitors leave.”
Once complete, the new Rollins Museum of Art will cover more than twice the size and space it does now and, supporters aspire, will protect its spot as a hub of culture in Winter Park.
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