Displaying items by tag: john russell pope

The Historic Districts Council, which can influence the city’s decisions but has no official role, has come out in opposition to the Frick Collection’s planned expansion, the council announced on Wednesday.

The council’s public review committee — which examines proposals for work on landmark buildings that are to come before the Landmarks Preservation Commission — said in a statement that the proposed expansion “will destroy the design intent of Thomas Hastings’ residential composition and John Russell Pope’s graceful museum transformation.”

After being closed for over 30 years, the Baltimore Museum of Art will reopen its historic Merrick Entrance beginning on November 23, 2014, in honor of the institution’s 100th anniversary. The event also marks the reopening of the renovated Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing and a new presentation of the Baltimore Museum’s collection of American fine and decorative arts. A redesigned East Wing Lobby and Zamoiski Entrance will reopen in fall 2014.

The upcoming openings are part of the Baltimore Museum’s multi-year, $28 million renovation. The final phase of the project is expected to reach completion with the reinstallation of the African and Asian art collections and the opening of a new center for learning and creativity in 2015.

Doreen Bolger, the museum’s Director, said, “The reopening of the BMA’s historic Merrick Entrance and the Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing will be an extraordinary moment in the museum’s distinguished history—bringing together museum-goers of all ages to experience John Russell Pope’s first vision of a great public art museum. We are looking forward to celebrating the BMA’s 100th anniversary with many new and exciting experiences for our visitors.”

The Baltimore Museum’s Merrick Entrance, which was designed by the American architect John Russell Pope, welcomed generations of visitors into the museum from 1929 to 1982. The entrance’s facade is being conserved and will have improved lighting. The existing doors and vestibule will remain unchanged. A $1 million gift from the France-Merrick Foundation is supporting this portion of the renovation.

On Sunday, November 18, the Baltimore Museum of Art will unveil a major renovation to the contemporary wing that was built in 1994. The space has been under construction since January 2011 and is part of a $24.5 million overhaul that included a new roof, lighting, gallery paint and flooring as well as other structural changes to the Contemporary Galleries. The overarching goal was to modernize the wing, making the entire viewing experience more inviting and fulfilling for patrons.

John Russell Pope, the architect that created the Jefferson Memorial, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Archives, built the Baltimore Museum’s main building in the 1920s. While the Pope building is a structural masterpiece, the Contemporary wing has been regarded as an eyesore for years. Architect Michael Craft oversaw the recent renovation and has done as much as possible to ease the transition from the Pope building into the Contemporary wing.

The Baltimore Museum of Art’s Contemporary collection includes more than 100 objects including paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and moving image works. At the wing’s unveiling, works by Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Olafur Eliasson will be on view.