Charlotte Ligon looks at a frog in a container with her grandmother last year during an educational event at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh. Staff N&O file photo

RALEIGH

Marbles Kids Museum on Monday announced plans to expand its downtown Raleigh location to handle visitors’ demands for more exhibits and a larger space.

The children’s museum on Friday purchased an adjacent building, which was occupied by the Longleaf School of the Arts charter high school on East Hargett Street. Longleaf moved before the start of the current school year.

The company that owns the building, MDO Holdings, has sold it to Marbles for $3.1 million. A statement the museum released called the purchase price a significant discount.

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“We knew this property was critical for the growth of one of downtown’s best assets, Marbles Kids Museum, and we believe in their vision and mission of children learning through play,” said MDO Holdings CEO Michael D. Olander Jr. in a statement.

Construction is “years out,” according to the announcement. Fundraising is just beginning.

The museum is about to mark its 10th anniversary. The building – which has also been the site of other charter schools, including Exploris middle school – is next to Marbles’ central courtyard.

Laura Bunn, market president for First Tennessee Bank and chairwoman of the museum’s board of directors, said any chance at buying contiguous property should be aggressively acted on. The Longleaf building is 16,568 square feet, according to county records.

Marbles CEO Sally Edwards said a growing number of visitors has prompted the expansion in order to accommodate more exhibits, a bigger lobby and more space for family programs. Educational field trips are at capacity, and the museum is too crowded to launch new programming during peak periods, she said.

Conceptual diagrams and a schedule will be forthcoming this fall, according to the museum. Meanwhile, two current exhibits will be renovated and more space will be created on the second floor for new exhibits.

Olander is the CEO of O2 Fitness, of which MDO Holdings is the parent company. MDO and affiliate MOMA earlier this year purchased a three-story building on Fayetteville Street between Kimbrell’s Furniture and CVS Pharmacy, where the N.C. State Bar was located.

It was MOMA’s fourth downtown Raleigh purchase.

Craig Jarvis: 919-829-4576, @CraigJ_NandO

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 4:55 PM.