In residence at the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa Library September 21, 2023 through March 1, 2024, the Kellogg Mansion Immersive Experience uses cutting edge virtual reality technology to take participants back in time while learning about the history of Dunedin’s Kellogg Mansion and the community efforts to preserve it digitally before it was slated for demolition.
This exhibit offers a rare opportunity to experience and remember the incredible mansion as it appeared through the decades, despite the structure itself being lost. The experience also demonstrates how technologies for the creation of a digital twin are being used in instances of last chance, rapidly documenting imperiled heritage before it disappears.
Before the mansion’s scheduled destruction, the Center for Digital Heritage and Geospatial Information at the USF Libraries, in partnership with the Pinellas Community Foundation, the Dunedin Public Library, the City of Dunedin, and the Dunedin History Museum, used specialized imaging and 3D technologies to survey and document the structure, creating a virtual replica of the site, features, and artifacts contained within. A resulting outcome included digital twin data preserved for archival documentation, and a publicly available virtual tour experience.
Through a Florida Humanities Community grant with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities provided in collaboration with the Dunedin Public Library, this work is presented as a virtual reality experience that is designed as a traveling exhibition to highlight Florida’s vanishing past.
Virtual Reality reservations are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10AM-5PM. Admission is free and open to USF students, faculty, employees, and selected community partners.
About the 3D Immersive Experience: After putting on a VR headset, visitors will find themselves in the Kellogg mansion and feel like they are walking around. Visitors can interact with elements of the home and learn more about its history, art, and architecture.
The exhibition experience is conducted through reservations, with each booking allowing users to utilize virtual reality immersion in the space. Faculty and students are also able to see the exhibition space which contains contextual and visual information presented about the history and project.
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibit do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support and partnership collaboration came from the Pinellas Community Foundation, City of Dunedin, the Dunedin History Museum, and the Dunedin Public Library.