Membership Spotlight: Rui Farias, Exectuive Director of the St Petersburg Museum of History

Rui Farias has spent most of his life in St. Petersburg, teaching Florida history at St. Petersburg High School, working within downtown organizations, and now serving as Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History. That deep personal connection to the city's past is precisely what drives his vision for its future.

Founded on February 11, 1922, the St. Petersburg Museum of History is the oldest museum in Pinellas County and the third oldest in the state of Florida. But Rui is quick to point out that the museum's role goes far beyond what visitors see on the floor. Serving as the official repository for the historical records and artifacts of St. Petersburg, the museum's collection has grown to over 100,000 pieces, including tens of thousands of photographs and postcards and the original steel jail cell doors rescued from the old police station before it was demolished.

Now, after years of planning, the museum is moving forward with its most ambitious chapter yet.

The planned 11,000-square-foot addition will fundamentally transform the visitor experience. A new entrance at the foot of the St. Pete Pier will welcome guests into a ground-floor space featuring a welcome center developed in partnership with Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and a large gift shop. Wrapping the exterior of the new structure is a large-scale public art installation by acclaimed artist Ya La'Ford, inspired by an 1891 Florida railroad map discovered deep within the museum's own archives.

The second floor will be home to "Explore Florida," a new flagship exhibit spanning 14 interactive chapters of St. Pete and Florida history from prehistoric times to the present day. Highlights include a model locomotive visitors can operate, a digital installation called the Florida Oracle that brings the state's railroad and settlement history to life through an interactive map, and a virtual reality experience recreating the legendary 1914 Benoit flight across Tampa Bay, widely recognized as the world's first commercial airline journey. Critically, the exhibit has been designed for rotation, with permanent fixtures that allow stories, artifacts, and digital content to be regularly refreshed, giving visitors a reason to return throughout the year.

Topping the addition is the Flight Deck, a rooftop event space with panoramic views of the Pier District, Tampa Bay, and the St. Petersburg skyline, poised to become one of downtown's most distinctive venues for weddings, corporate events, and private gatherings. The museum is currently awaiting updated contractor pricing and is targeting a 2027 construction start.

For Rui, the expansion is about much more than square footage. Having spent two decades teaching Florida history at St. Petersburg High School, he has long believed that the state's remarkable past, from Spanish arrival to the Space Race, is one of the most underappreciated stories in American history. "If you read the things that happen in Florida, you don't need to read fictional books," Rui said during his interview with the Partnership. "Our history is just bizarre, and there are so many cool stories that people don't know about." Through the expansion and its broader programming, the museum aims to change that, establishing itself as a teaching museum and storytelling destination that draws visitors from across the state and beyond.

We are proud to have the St. Petersburg Museum of History as part of the Downtown Partnership community. Downtown Partnership members currently receive a 10% discount on booking the museum's event spaces, available now even before the Flight Deck opens its doors. To learn more, visit historystpete.org.

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