MIAMI—The foundation is complete. Vertical construction is underway. The Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science is set to open in 2015. When it does, it will mark the capstone of Downtown Miami's new Museum Park complex.

“Miami is an international destination and for the first time in the city's history, there will be a dedicated science museum at the heart of its downtown,” says Miami Science Museum president and CEO Gillian Thomas. The museum is expected to draw more than 700,000 visitors to Miami during its first year of opening, and an additional 600,000 visitors on an ongoing annual basis going forward.

Private sector support for the project—which is expected to serve as a cultural destination and economic engine in the city's urban core—is growing. The museum has secured more than $70 million of its $100 million private fundraising goal, which complements Miami-Dade County's $165 million funding.