Peterson Rich Office (PRO) has been announced as the architect of a major renovation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City that will overhaul its Fifth Avenue entrance, gift shop, and other public areas over a period of several years.

The Met says this work will be conducted in two phases: the new gallery will be enacted first near the Great Hall, followed by the renovation of the outside plaza area and a reconfiguration of existing dining areas.

The gallery will be completed in 2026, resulting in an 11,500-square-foot space for The Costume Institute’s annual spring show and other curatorial activities. The former employee's entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue will also be remade to allow better public access to the building. Beyer Blinder Belle is attached to the project as the executive architect, following their renovation of the museum’s European paintings galleries that was completed this month. 

"Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich join a long list of meaningful architectural commissions at The Met, including most recently Frida Escobedo, Nader Tehrani, and Kulapat Yantrasast," Jhaelen Hernandez-Eli, the Met’s Vice President of Capital Projects, said in a press announcement. "Peterson Rich, with Beyer Blinder Belle, will help us realize an immensely complicated project adjacent to the Great Hall and the Fifth Avenue Plaza. The Special Exhibitions Gallery and 83rd Street Entrance are extensions of these beloved public spaces, enabling a more accessible and immersive threshold between the City and the Museum."

The firm is looking forward to next year's completion of The Shepherd Gallery & Arts Center in Detroit and the new Davison Art Gallery at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. No project costs have been reported at press time, though the Met has said Trustee Anna Wintour will be spearheading a major fundraising effort ahead of its completion.