IN PROGRESS: Wadsworth Atheneum Expansion

[beerbeer]

The Wadsworth Atheneum announced today the start of a comprehensive renovation project across all five of the museum’s buildings, which will result in the addition of 8,000 square feet of refurbished gallery space, a 14% increase, and the complete reinstallation of the museum’s permanent collection.

The renovation will also bring significant improvements for visitors, including improved wayfinding, new interior and exterior signage, bi-lingual signage, and space for commissioned art on the exterior of the museum. In addition to addressing structural issues, the renovation will lead to significant energy savings through updates to the HVAC system and the establishment of two green roof areas. Another major component of the restoration project will be the re-opening of the light monitors in the Morgan Building, which will bring natural light into the upper galleries. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2011.

The museum will remain open during the renovation and is planning a number of exciting exhibitions for 2010 and 2011 that will bring some of the world’s greatest art to Hartford. These include a traveling exhibition of permanent collection works that will be on view beginning in October 2010 entitled, American Moderns on Paper: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, a special exhibition of Monet’s water lily paintings in fall 2011, and an Andrew Wyeth exhibition which will re-assess this artist’s long career and center around the museum’s famed Wyeth painting, Chambered Nautilus.

“This renovation will make our museum more accessible and welcoming to the public,” said Susan L. Talbott, Director, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. “It’s an important component of our comprehensive approach to preserving and presenting the museum’s renowned collections and historic facilities, while supporting the ongoing growth of our exhibitions and collecting programs.”

The country’s first public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places—a result of the museum’s history of commissioning architecture that is an expression of its time. The museum’s five separate, but contiguous buildings were built over the span of 125 years and now contain 57,000 square feet of gallery space, 2,260 square feet of education space, and 26,240 square feet of alternative use space, for a total of 164,000 square feet.

The majority of the project’s $16 million dollar project cost is funded through a $15 million grant from the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and an $183,000 grant from the Mortensen Foundation.

The architect for the project is the Hartford-based firm of SmithEdwards Architects, and the construction manager is Consigli Construction Co., Inc., which has offices in Enfield. Both firms were selected for their expertise in architectural restoration and their ability to solve complex infrastructural issues while maintaining a site’s historical integrity. Examples of other important heritage landmarks these firms have worked on include: Trinity College’s Long Walk; the Old State House; the Bowdoin College Museum of Art’s Walker Art Building; and the New York State Capitol restoration. Alan Barton, Director of Facilities, is managing the project for The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

As part of the construction process, there will be a temporary inconvenience to visitors of the adjacent Alfred E. Burr Memorial, or the ‘Burr Mall’ as it is commonly known. Due to construction staging activity on the north side of the Mall, access will be somewhat restricted and will necessitate the removal of the current trees and landscaping. The Wadsworth is working in close cooperation with Burr Mall and will restore and replant the affected area at the conclusion of the renovation project. Several of the affected trees will be transplanted back to the Mall upon completion of the construction.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is located at 600 Main St. in Hartford, Connecticut. The Museum is open Wednesdays to Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please visit www.wadsworthatheneum.org for more information.

[The Voice of Reason]

bad ass!

Me thinks this thread might need a renaming to IN PROGRESS: Wadsworth renovation/expansion

14% increase in gallary space is pretty significant.

I really hope that some day there is demand and the capability to annex the city hall with a nice modern connector to really bring its space up to the level of its collection.

Ahhh 2050, what a year!

[MadVlad]

I always thought that the City should donate/sell City Hall to the Wadsworth to add to the complex and build themsleves a City Hall tower to house all of Eddie's cronies...

[The Voice of Reason]

Dennis House blog info...

 

on his show in March Mayor Pedro was a guest and talked about a new city call..(I am posting about that in another thread...

 

with the city thinking about leaving its historic home, the Wadsworth immediately comes up as a potential acquirer.

 

I post this here to re-open the discussion of this potential expansion..

 

If money were not an object, boy would I love to see the Wadsworth build a connection to this beauty and expand their gallery space.

 

such an amazing museum already, but with this extra space I feel like it would be seenas world class as their collection already is.