Mystic — Mystic Seaport Museum announced Thursday that it has plans to demolish its Latitude 41 restaurant and construct a 27-room boutique hotel and restaurant in its place, as well as open up almost an acre of space in its Collections Research Center to exhibit more of the 460 boats in its collection, many of which have never been on display.

In addition, the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, which has been located above the museum store since 2016 and develops high-tech vehicles for underwater exploration, plans to construct an underwater research and education center, create interactive, hands-on displays in a museum building, and build a large, 20-foot-deep tank to test its underwater vehicles and robots.

“We are excited to announce these three strategic initiatives, which will add significantly to the visitor experience of the Museum, support and share the important work of the Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, and provide new sources of revenue to help sustain Museum operations,” museum President Steve White said.

The museum was expected to submit an application to amend its master plan to the Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission late Thursday. The commission will have to hold a public hearing on the master plan at a later date.

Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons called the Seaport’s announcement “incredibly good news for the community.”

The hotel

Museum spokesman Dan McFadden said Thursday that the Greenwich Hospitality Group, which is headed by former museum trustee Charles Mallory, will lease the land for the hotel/restaurant building. He added Mallory has stepped down from his trustees’ position to work on the project.

As for why the museum wished to have a hotel on its campus, McFadden said that among the recommendations in the museum’s 2017 strategic plan is promoting the sustainable operation of the museum by ensuring its assets are being utilized to their highest and best use.

He pointed out Latitude 41, which he called an aging facility that’s not being put to its optimal use, as why the museum decided to seek proposals for the site.

“It will be a great amenity, it's right on the river,” he said.

The museum’s announcement states that “the new building will continue the Museum’s role as a superior venue for weddings, corporate meetings, and group events in the Mystic area and the restaurant will provide a fine-dining destination for Museum visitors and the public.”

The museum said the new 23,000-square-foot building also would be set farther back on the property from Route 27. McFadden said an artist’s rendering of the hotel is not yet available. Mallory could not be reached to comment.

The Greenwich Hospitality owns three upscale Delmar hotels with spas and restaurants in Greenwich, Southport and West Hartford, as well as Hotel Zero Degrees locations in Stamford, Norwalk and Danbury and the landmark Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford. It also owns hotels in Texas and Vermont.

The hotel proposal comes as the PZC is considering applications for two new hotels behind the Holiday Inn Express on Coogan Boulevard and one that is part of the proposed Smiler’s Wharf project at Seaport Marine. 

Underwater vehicle development

The nonprofit Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration, which has been searching for Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones’ flagship the Bonhomme Richard off the English coast, plans a two-phase development.

The first would involve the construction of a facility where it would develop, build and test underwater vehicles and technology on property it would lease from the museum next to the James T. Carlton Marine Science Center, which is located behind the south parking lot.

Dave Lovalvo, the organization’s founder, president and CEO, said Thursday that he would like to see the building open in September 2020.

The first phase also will involve the creation of interactive exhibits in the museum’s Clift Block building on its main campus that will display to students and other visitors some of the technology GFOE uses to explore oceans.

The second phase will involve the construction of a 60-foot by 50-foot, 20-foot-deep tank where GFOE can test its large underwater vehicles and other technology. It also will be a place where students can test vehicles they have built. Lovalvo declined to discuss the cost of the project but said his organization is raising money to pay for it.

Lovalvo said his group already does extensive education and outreach, as its underwater expeditions, such as the recent discovery of a circa-1850 shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico, can be viewed in real time by anyone with access to the internet. But he said the new project will let his organization share what it is doing with visitors to the museum. He said sharing its work and discoveries with the public is important, as much of its work is funded by government grants.

“We think this will be a great addition to the Mystic community and the Seaport,” he said.

New boat exhibit

Because the museum’s collection of historic vessels numbers 460, visitors to the museum only see a small portion of them. The museum said public access to the remainder is limited to occasional public viewing events, scheduled tours and research visits by appointment.

But the museum now plans to convert 38,000 square feet of warehouse storage in the Collections Research Center to new watercraft exhibit space. The museum said the permanent exhibit “will feature a rotating selection of watercraft and be open to Museum visitors on a daily basis.”

j.wojtas@theday.com