Officially vacant for nearly three years, the bayfront property is in need of serious repairs, city staff says.
By
Amanda Morales
| 5:59 a.m. August 4, 2016
Sarasota
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As the city considers the possible demolition of the former GWIZ building on Boulevard of the Arts, the lack of maintenance is taking its toll on the property — but signs of the children’s museum can still be found throughout.
The worn-out sign at the entrance of the property is one of the first signals that the building is suffering from a lack of maintenance.
The former hours of operation remain posted at the entrance to the building.
The Fab Lab opened in 2011, one of the final additions to the GWIZ building before the museum closed.
The Fab Lab is now used as storage space for city property.
Although some of the property has been moved into storage here, other items have remained at GWIZ all along.
Former administrative space on the second floor is one of the starker areas of the building. A fax machine remains because the elevators have been shut off.
The EcoZone, which housed exhibits on house and lizards, is one of the more well-preserved sections of the museum.
GWIZ sold most of its property at auction, but some pieces went unclaimed and have been left behind.
For the most part, however, the former exhibition space is barren.
Another item left behind on the second floor still bears an auction tag.
At this point, the walls are the most consistent signifier of the building's former tenant.
Science-related murals remain painted throughout the building.
The walls bear smaller details in some areas, and large-scale paintings elsewhere.
The classroom space in the building, though mostly empty, is another one of the more well-preserved areas.
A former theater space can only be lit with a lamp brought into the building after GWIZ vacated the premises.
The main lobby still bears the vibrant colors that make the building stand out as a former children's museum.
Photos hang on the walls in the building's glass atrium.
Leaks in the glass roof in the atrium are one of the biggest challenges the building is facing, city staff says.
