The former St. Augustine Children’s Museum site may be trading science exhibits for stage lights. Developers have filed plans to transform the five-acre property into a mixed indoor-outdoor entertainment center modeled on The Block Jax in Jacksonville, with restaurants, bars and outdoor gathering areas arranged around family-friendly amenities and performance spaces. Proponents say the idea is to give locals more to do after dark while leaving room on the property for kid-focused attractions. The filing represents the first public step toward a complete redevelopment of the site.
Plans submitted for block complex
According to the Jacksonville Business Journal, developers have filed plans to transform the five-acre site into an entertainment complex modeled after The Block Jax, combining dining, drinking and outdoor event space. The application touts the project as a mixed-use entertainment destination rather than a standard retail center or residential building. The Business Journal reports that the site formerly housed the children’s museum and notes that a ceremonial groundbreaking was once held there, attended by donors and community leaders.
What the Block Jax model looks like
According to News4Jax, The Block Jax in Jacksonville features a large covered pavilion with multiple food vendors, a children’s play area, a private dog park and a stage for live music. Local reporting describes the venue as a roughly 10,000-square-foot covered pavilion that houses rotating vendors and an on-site brewery, as well as an upstairs mezzanine reserved for adults. This mix of casual dining, rotating vendors and scheduled performances is the plan the developers say they want to reflect in St. Augustine.
The Block Jax also relies on repurposed shipping containers for concession stands and emphasizes flexible event programming, a feature highlighted in the Jax Daily Record. The operator has emphasized family-friendly opening hours and created a higher 21-plus zone to create a balance between daytime crowds and nighttime traffic. That mix will likely influence how any St. Augustine version addresses known friction points like parking, noise and permits.
Location history and local context
The land now used for the entertainment complex was used by the Children’s Museum, which held a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by donors, local business people and families, according to the Jacksonville Business Journal. The new proposal would transform that footprint into a hospitality and entertainment hub rather than an institutional campus. City and county assessors will ultimately decide whether the site can be redeveloped in accordance with current land use rules.
What comes next
The application now enters the local review pipeline, where staff reports, public notices and any necessary hearings set the pace for decisions and possible conditions. The filing does not yet list specific tenants or a construction timeline, and developers have not announced an opening date for a St. Augustine project. For a closer look at the playbook they reference, check out The Block Jax.
If approved, the project would bring a new destination for dining, live entertainment and family outings to a well-known corner of St. Augustine. We will update this story as more planning documents emerge and public meeting dates are released.
