Sen. Blakespear secures $3.59M for Oceanside Museum of Art renovation

The Oceanside Museum of Art has received a major boost toward its renovation and expansion project, with Sen. Catherine S. Blakespear, D-Encinitas, Monday presenting a $3.59 million check to the city.

OMA has been fundraising for the project for nearly two years, but the state funding presented Monday will allow the museum to move forward with on restoring the exterior of the adjacent Fire Station 1 — vacated last year as the fire station moved to a larger location down the street — to its original 1929 Irving J. Gill design while extending the museum’s campus to a full city block.

Blakespear secured the $3.59 million in California’s 2025-26 state budget.

“Oceanside Museum of Art’s historic renovation project is truly deserving of state support, and I am happy I could help make it a reality,” Blakespear said. “This investment will not only expand access to the arts for local residents, improving the quality of life for the community, but will continue the growth and development of downtown Oceanside into a center for culture and tourism.”

The Oceanside Museum of Art opened its first official exhibition in 1997 in City Hall — a building also designed by Irving J. Gill — and expanded in 2008 by adding the Frederick Fisher designed Central Pavilion.

“This historic renovation represents everything we value in Oceanside — preserving our cultural and historic heritage while building our future,” Mayor Esther C. Sanchez said. “Arts and culture are essential to building vibrant and economically resilient communities. By investing in institutions like the world-class Oceanside Museum of Art, we’re creating the kind of destination where people want to live, work and visit.”

Nearly 30,000 residents and visitors visit OMA annually and more than 6,200 students benefit from the museum’s arts education initiatives, including every 3rd and 5th grader in Oceanside public schools.

“OMA was started as a dream by a handful of volunteer citizens over 30 years ago. This generous grant is a huge part of the next transformative chapter in OMA history, and will help to define North County’s cultural arts future, creating a lasting legacy of historic preservation, creativity, and civic pride,” said Maria Mingalone, the museum’s executive director. “OMA is now in the final stretch of a $10 million capital campaign to expand and modernize the Pier View Way campus — ensuring that OMA remains a vibrant hub for exhibitions, education, and community engagement for generations to come.

“We are grateful to all of the individual donors, community organizations, foundations, and civic leaders who helped to get us to this amazing milestone.”

When the expansion is complete, the museum will have increased from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet along the full city block of Pier View Way between Ditmar and Nevada streets. The expansion will allow for the museum to increase studio classroom and exhibition space, as well as more room to pursue a permanent collection.

Blakespear represents Senate District 38, which covers coastal and northern San Diego County and south Orange County.