HistoryMiami Is No More — Welcome, Museum of Miami

Over the years, HistoryMiami has consistently delivered some of the most interesting exhibitions in the city. Whether it was “Mucho, Mucho Amor,” which celebrated 50 years of pop culture icon Walter Mercado, or “It’s a Miami Thing,” which looked back at the Magic City’s 125-year history, the institution has long punched above its weight.

Now, to continue its mission to tell Miami’s story, the museum has decided to ditch the name it’s used since 2010 for new branding that better reflects its scope. Starting today, HistoryMiami is now the Museum of Miami.

In a statement, Natalia Crujeiras, the museum’s CEO, said the name change reflects “a shift in how this community experiences Miami’s Museum as a living, breathing archive.”

The museum’s board of trustees approved the name change on March 18, marking the museum’s new initiative to expand beyond its walls and bring exhibitions and storytelling directly to neighborhoods across Miami-Dade.

“We built this new brand in step with the community,” added Michele Reese Granger, senior director of marketing, in a statement. “As Miami’s oldest cultural institution, we understood the weight of a decision to change the name. We intentionally built this brand alongside the community because we believed it had to be co-authored and co-curated by the very people whose stories we are entrusted to preserve. What we heard overwhelmingly was that our community wants to see their neighborhoods, cultures, and lived experiences reflected in what we do.”

To better engage with residents, the museum has announced several new activations. First is an interactive museum celebrating the country’s 250th birthday, inviting residents to share their hopes for America’s future. Submissions can be made through a digital platform, with entries displayed in the museum’s foyer. Then there’s “Cafecito Stories,” a storytelling experience that captures voices from around the county and is set to launch this fall. Finally, the museum’s long-running CultureFest is being reimagined. Usually held at the museum, it will move off-site to local parks across the county. The first will take place at Tropical Park in January 2027.

Museum of Miami is also set to host the National Archives’ “Freedom Plane: Documents That Forged a Nation” exhibition starting on June 20 for America’s 250th. The downtown museum was chosen as one of just eight around the country to display the collection of rare historic artifacts, including George Washington’s Oath of Allegiance, the Treaty of Paris, and a draft of the Bill of Rights.

Museum of Miami was founded in 1940 as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida; however, it wouldn’t actually open as a museum until 1962, and received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums in 1979. In 2010, it changed its name to HistoryMiami Museum to mark its 70th anniversary. The following year, it joined the Smithsonian Institution Affiliations Program, allowing it to bring Smithsonian exhibits to South Florida. Its permanent collection includes more than 40,000 artifacts and 2 million images.

Museum of Miami. 101 W. Flagler St., Miami; 305-375-1492; museumofmiami.org.