Building The Cade

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The curved steel arc of the $9.5 million Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention is rapidly reaching towards the sky at Depot Park.

Influenced by the expanding spirals of Fibonacci’s “Golden Ratio,” the grand, 21,000 square foot facility will feature interactive exhibits, temporary exhibit space, the Cade Creativity Lab and Fab Lab, a gift shop, facility rental opportunities, an outdoor educational space, and sculpture garden when it opens in Fall 2017.

Guests will have the opportunity to sign the museum’s highest structural steel beam before Oelrich Construction raises it on top of the building this week. The “Make Your Mark” community event will take place on Thursday September 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cade Museum Foundation Garage on 904 South Main Street.

The Cade Museum is thrilled to be under construction, and to provide an opportunity for our stakeholders to participate in a momentous event by signing the final steel beam to be placed on the structure. This beam is a symbol of the Museum and the community coming together to create a legacy that will benefit future generations to come.

– Leslie Ladendorf, Cade Museum Development Director

Named after Dr. J. Robert Cade, the lead inventor of Gatorade, the Cade Museum provides hands-on science, fabrication, and entrepreneurship classes to school-age children. Phase I of the world-class facility will enable the museum to provide increased educational programs to visitors and stimulate local economic activity through tourism.

“The new Cade Museum will captivate thousands of visitors when it opens next year,” said Oelrich Construction President Ivan Oelrich. “It has been an honor and a privilege to work with the Cade Museum Foundation to build such an imaginative, iconic space.”

The landmark project has received an outpouring of support from private donors and volunteers throughout the community and the state as well as organizations including: Alachua County, the City of Gainesville, Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency, the Community Foundation of North Central Florida, and Gatorade. Construction financing has been provided by Florida Community Loan Fund, JP Morgan Chase’s Development Banking NMTC, and CenterState Bank of Florida. The Cade Museum project design and construction team includes: Jonesville-based construction management firm Oelrich Construction, Baltimore-based architecture firm GWWO Architects, Gainesville-based Kail Partners, and Gainesville-based civil engineering firm Jay Brown Professional Group.

About the Cade Museum Foundation

In 2004, Dr. James Robert Cade and his family established the Cade Museum Foundation to design and build a museum in Gainesville in order to inspire creative thinking, future inventors, and early entrepreneurs. A physician at the University of Florida (UF), Dr. Cade was best known as the leader of the research team that invented Gatorade for the UF football team in 1965.
The Cade Museum is scheduled to open in 2017 in downtown Gainesville. Learn more at www.cademuseum.org

About Oelrich Construction, Inc.

Oelrich Construction, Inc. has provided quality construction management and design-build services to exceptional clients across North Central Florida since 2004. Focused on public, commercial, and institutional construction, Oelrich’s experienced management team consistently provides clear communication and proactive management catered to each client’s unique needs. Visit www.oelrichconstruction.com for more information.