anchor

The main entrance with the bronze doors, eagle and the adjacent arched windows are shaded from the inside to create a hint of the new contents.

17 more images ↓

OSU Postal Plaza Gallery

Vision Statement: The vision for the Postal Plaza Project is to create a place for the display of art; a place to safely and appropriately store art; and a place for the education of students of Oklahoma State University and the citizens of Stillwater and Oklahoma.

Architectural Concept: The architectural concept for the new Postal Plaza Gallery is to create a teaching space, viewing galleries, and a state-of-the-art storage facility to accommodate a new and growing collection. Our concept revolves around the idea of turning the space inside out. Our goal is to allow visitors to see behind the scenes to see how works are cared for, how an exhibit is organized and hung, and to expose the visitor to the process of collection management. This is the first time for the concept to be used in a university art space. Allowing the visitors to “peek” into spaces not normally visible is a perfect arrangement for teaching collections operations, care, and exhibition installation. Ultimately, the goal is to engage our community broadly, including OSU alumni, to help us create a world-class art collection and programs that can be used to support research at OSU and for educating students of all ages.

Status: Built
Location: Stillwater, OK, US
Firm Role: Architect
Additional Credits: General Contractor: Manhattan Construction Group
Civil Engineer: Keystone Engineering & Surveying
Structural Engineer: Wallace Engineering
MEP: Determan-Scheirman, Inc.

The southeast corner of the historic post office building now transformed into the Postal Plaza Gallery for Oklahoma State University.

What was once the postal sorting room is now the main gallery space. The overhead catwalk and windows remain in place where postal security once watched the postal sorting process. Cable lighting spans the space and the lights float in the volume. A new ceiling plane was suspended below the existing plaster ceiling.

The original drawings showed a vestibule in the building. It was never built. The new glass and steel vestibule clearly states a 21st Century change.

The bronze doors and eagle grill glow from reflective light.

A view looking east towards the front door. The ghosts of the three skylights and security catwalk windows are clearly visible. Surprisingly the exposed steel has orange primer.

A detail of the main gallery showing the skylight “ghosts” and the security catwalk. An exhibition is being installed.

The free hanging blackout shades cover the windows and protect the art from harmful UV rays.

Two blackout shades create a unique corner condition. The reflected light illuminates a corner in a ghostly way.

The exposed structure of the 1960s addition and the new temporary walls.

Gallery B looking west with the existing vault in the foreground. The 1960s mezzanine is visible in the upper left. An exhibition is being installed.

The 1960s addition becomes Exhibit Gallery B. An existing vault remains in place and a combination of clay tile and concrete block tell us about the construction of the time.

We chose to expose the intersection of the original 1933 building and the 1960s addition. The uplighting of the orange steel and exposed structure celebrates the history and the future.

The art collection archive looking east the archive resides in the 1960s addition, and the 1933 post office building is exposed on the right.

The main entrance into the art collection archive. Most institutions would not allow this visual connection. Because this is a teaching institution, seeing behind the scenes is part of the education.