The Penny Lane Beatles Museum, containing one of the world's largest permanent Beatles collections, will debut in downtown St. Pete on August 5th.
The new 2,100-square-foot museum will be located at 146 2nd Street North on the ground floor of the Palais Royale office building.
The nonprofit museum announced its move to St. Pete last year and closed its Dunedin location in June.
The new St. Pete space is four times the size of the museum's former Dunedin location, allowing the organization to significantly expand both its exhibits and programming.
Visitors entering the new museum will be greeted by a reception area, gift shop, and a small stage featuring Ringo Starr's drum kit.
The museum's interior will be filled with bright colors and psychedelic artwork inspired by the band's late-'60s era, including albums such as Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine.
Outside, the building's awning will project colorful moving patterns onto the sidewalk.
Large display cases throughout the museum will showcase Beatles memorabilia, while a dedicated children's room will offer coloring and other hands-on activities.
Pinellas Park-based Creative Arts Unlimited has created several larger-than-life installations inspired by Beatles songs, including a mechanical octopus and a yellow submarine that will be visible from the street.
“Everything they have designed is absolutely purposeful, intentional for this space. You're not going to find it anywhere else in the world,” Executive Director Craig Bachner said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.
Penny Lane was founded in 2017 by local radiologist Dr. Robert Entel.
Entel funds the museum and supplies its exhibits from his personal collection, which includes instruments, signed documents, rare collectibles, toys, games from the 1960s, apparel, and even a prized pair of John Lennon's glasses.
The museum plans to regularly rotate exhibits, allowing visitors to see new artifacts from Dr. Robert Entel's extensive collection, much of which is currently stored in a warehouse.
Professional curator Allison Holuban is leading the exhibition design, and QR codes throughout the galleries will eventually give visitors additional historical context about many of the artifacts on display.
“Being here with all the other museum attractions and other growth activities that St. Petersburg has had to offer makes a trip to Penny Lane an interesting destination for travelers,” said Bachner. “I can see people visiting us, as well as other museums in the area on the same day.”
The museum will be within walking distance of the Museum of the American Arts & Crafts Movement, The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, The Florida Holocaust Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and several other downtown museums.
Penny Lane also plans to partner with local nonprofits and arts organizations, including The Florida Orchestra, the University of South Florida's music department, and Creative Pinellas to present live music and educational programming both inside the museum and at venues throughout the city.
The foyer of the Palais Royale building will host stripped-down candlelit performances by Beatles tribute bands, and the museum also hopes to bring in guest speakers and Beatles historians from around the world.
“It's not necessarily an educational museum in the sense of trying to document history, but we're more interested in spreading the peace, love, and happiness that The Beatles were all about,” Bachner says. “My favorite thing is listening to people tell their Beatles stories. Everybody has one.”
A grand opening celebration is planned for this fall. The museum also expects to launch an online merchandise store in the coming months.
Admission will be $15 for visitors ages 8 and older. Bachner says the fee will help support the nonprofit's ongoing operations.
“We are a not-for-profit museum and we want to make sure everyone knows that nobody is getting rich off of this,” said Bachner. “We rely on sponsorships, donations and grants to keep going.”
When it opens on August 5th, Penny Lane will welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with plans to eventually add live music on Saturday evenings.
