Gainesville residents will have to wait five more months for the new Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention to open.
The museum, which is dedicated to the inventor of Gatorade, Robert Cade, aims to teach math and science by using art and creativity. Although the facility will be complete in August, the museum will open in January 2018 in Depot Park, located at 200 SE Depot Ave., following a series of preview events, said Stephanie Bailes, the museum’s executive director.
“We wanted to make sure that we are doing the best that we can ... in the space that we have,” she said. “That’s why we’re taking our time to open.”
Until its grand opening in January, staff will install new exhibits, train employees and furnish two lab areas: the Creativity Lab, for innovative experimenting, and the Fab Lab, outfitted with 3-D printers and an original printing press, she said.
Project manager Josh Blackford said construction is on schedule, despite the
complicated design.
“There’s not a square corner in the building,” he said.
More than 90 percent of the building’s exterior will sport a custom-bent metal finish for a futuristic look, he said.
“You won’t look up and say, ‘I’ve seen this before,’” Blackford said.
Bailes said the staff chose to build in Depot Park because it connects Gainesville to the rest of the community.
“We want people to take these ideas back out into the community and share with their family and friends,” she said.
Cade programs
- Fab Lab — Fabricating materials with the use of computers, 3-D printers and scanners, laser cutters and hand tools.
- Creativity Lab — Learning how to do science differently by mixing art and the humanities together.
