A Vital Cultural Resource Re-Opens Its Doors

Ann Beha Architects of Boston redesigned Currier Museum of Art, a 40,000 sq ft renovation project in North America. The expansion of museum with 33, 000 sq. ft addition doubles the space for exhibition, visiting services and other programs. The project includes two city blocks with outdoor space for sculpture and events. It sets up a clear path through galleries, reinforcing the consistency of original Beaux Arts plan. New entrance and “Winter Garden” expand public spaces focused on original two-storey interior court with artworks besides views of public spaces and the city.

The new additions offer a contemporary look of the building. The cladding includes terra cotta rain screens, basalt panels, zinc cornices and expanses of glass. The building includes a new lobby, ticketing and prolonged museum shop and visitor services on the North. Three new galleries surround Winter Garden, Museum’s new central meeting space on the South.  The Winter Garden preserves and relocates Museum’s original entrance façade and joins upper and lower levels with lower level including a new auditorium, education center, and museum offices.