St. Petersburg begins process to purchase black history museum

ST. PETERSBURG — Earlier this spring, Mayor Rick Kriseman announced a plan to buy the city's only African American history museum, ending months of controversy over its future.

An offer is now officially on the table.

According to a draft agreement, the city is willing to spend $663,000 to acquire the museum at 2240 Ninth Ave. S.

Before the deal can close, it must be approved by the City Council and the board of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, which owns the building that houses the museum.

Officials don't expect many snags.

"The way we have the time line, we could get this worked out in September," said Darrell Irions, executive director of the housing agency. "We've actually made a lot of progress. I think we'll be good to go."

The sale between the city and the housing authority, if successful, could end a months-long public feud between the museum and the housing authority.

For the past year, officials at the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum said they felt bullied by Irions and the housing board, which they said were determined to push them aside. Irions said the housing authority was continuing its long-term plan to shed itself of commercial properties. In January, despite an outcry by the community, the housing board voted to put the building on the market and evict the museum.

In March, Kriseman announced the city would buy the museum itself.

One unknown, however, was the price. An appraisal the housing authority had done last fall valued the property at $663,000, which raised some eyebrows.

Irions himself said he thought that might be high.

Yet two other appraisals, ordered by the city and completed last month, valued the museum even higher. One, from Herr Valuation Advisors, Inc of Tampa, came in at $720,000. Another, by Urban Realty Solutions, came in at $750,000.

Since the museum was first created years ago, several improvements have been made, including lighting and an expansive garden used for weddings and other functions.

But federal officials also have said that the site, improved with federal grant funds in the early 2000s, must continue to be used as a museum.

Money to buy the museum will come from this year's capital improvement funds, budget director Tom Greene said.

The city saw savings after it restructured some bonds last year, he said. It took a $1 million refund and parked it in a capital improvement budget, but did not attach a specific project to it, Greene said.

"Now we're spending it," he said.

Irions said he'd like the sale to be completed before he retires by the end of the year.

"I want to shepherd this through before I leave," he said.