Allied Works’ collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand for the new Palmer Museum of Art at Pennsylvania State University is closing in on its June 1st opening. The firm has shared new photos previewing its work ahead of the inauguration, which will culminate a two-year construction period for a cost of $85 million.
The 73,000-square-foot building is defined by interlocking sandstone-clad pavilions contained within double-height volumes. These allow for unique spatial variations in each of the 20 new galleries, highlighting the diversity of its collection to visitors.
An overhead skybridge — the new Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Gateway — links both wings while establishing panoramic vistas of the university's Arboretum and H.O. Smith Botanic Garden outside. —
Small exterior courtyards are created by the design, which is similar in concept to Allied Works' 2008 Dutchess County Guest House in upstate New York and the firm's shortlisted competition proposal for the new Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo.
Erin M. Coe, the Palmer Museum of Art’s director, added: “Enhanced accessibility to the museum’s collection and other new amenities, such as educational and events spaces, elevate those experiences further. It is my hope that visitors will not discern a separation between the architecture that contains these spaces and the outside landscape but rather conceive of both as one.”
“As a lifelong gardener, the prospect of merging my two passions, art, and landscape, was very exciting. The Palmer Museum of Art’s new location invites you on a walkthrough of the gardens and galleries as the building moves over the site,” Allied Works principal Brad Cloepfil explained further. “Inside the museum, a rich field of new galleries are brought to life through the diversity of natural light. Tailored to the specific collection, the galleries lead you on a rhythmic journey of compression and release. The museum extends the invitation to see more, to explore more, with the added grace of places to rest and reorient.”
Penn State says they expect 70,000 visitors will use the new facilities annually. It joins two other college art museum projects — RAMSA's new Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at Notre Dame and Michael Maltzan's Hammer Museum renovations for UCLA — that have been completed within the past 18 months.
Allied Works is currently hiring for two Project Architect positions in its Brooklyn offices. The firm is also working on the renovation and expansion of the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida that is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026.
Editor's Note, April 11, 2024: An earlier version of this article stated that the building was already completed; however, we have been informed by the architects that final construction is still ongoing. The post has been corrected accordingly.
1 Comment
This recent art museum exhibit design trope of using a saturated hue that some gallerist with a Pantone pack thinks is a visual common denominator with the art is stupid and does the paintings no favors. Go back to using a light tone warm neutral / off-white for these galleries and P L E A S E turn the light back on - The dark room with "dramatic" spotlight illumination is dopey. Send this new generation of gallerists back to the school of common sense. They are a school of fish, a herd of sheep pawning a screwball trope on all art lovers.
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