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Thu February 21, 2002 - National Edition
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has recently unveiled the architectural designs of its comprehensive Master Site Plan developed by the internationally-renowned architectural firm, Foster and Partners (London). This plan is a multi-phased project that will transform the MFA, enhancing the ways in which visitors interact with the Museum’s great works of art. The plan will also strengthen the Museum’s connection to the local neighborhoods and communities that it serves. The MFA is entering Phase I of the Plan, which is expected to take approximately five years to complete.
Major elements of Phase I of the MFA’s Master Site Plan are:
o reinstate the building’s strong central axis at the heart of the Museum, which extends from its Huntington Avenue doors (south) to its Fenway doors (north), resulting in enhanced accessibility to the collections, better wayfinding throughout the MFA, and the reopening of the Fenway entrance;
o an exquisite "jewel box" made of glass and steel that will link and enclose the Richard and Helen Fraser Garden Court to the new East Wing;
o an East Wing which will consist of an expansive central building within the "jewel box" flanked by two smaller pavilions, and showcasing the Art of the Americas and Contemporary art collections;
o expanded educational facilities, including a 150 seat state-of-the-art film theater, seminar room, studio arts classroom and workshop;
o a new glass-sided restaurant overlooking the Fenway’s Emerald Necklace and the Boston skyline;
o refurbished Art of Europe galleries; and
o enhanced and enlarged conservation and research studios.
"The designs embody an architectural statement that is not only intensely beautiful but also innovative and precisely functional. The architects have responded magnificently to the needs of the Museum. Their designs will stimulate a revitalized visitor experience within the Museum as well as a greater connection to our neighbors and the city of Boston," said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund director of the MFA. "This first phase of the Master Site Plan will truly transform the MFA and how our visitors interact with art, and how the Museum interacts with our neighborhood."
At the completion of Phase I, the Museum’s building area will grow from 531,000 sq. ft. to 677,000 sq. ft. -an increase of 27 percent. This square footage increase is the new construction of the East Wing and Fraser Garden Court enclosure. Additionally, 73,000 sq. ft. of the existing Museum building will be renovated or refurbished.
The Museum is currently in a quiet phase of a $425-million campaign that will support Phase I of the Museum’s Master Site Plan. The comprehensive Master Site Plan (Phase I and subsequent phases) is a long-range plan that includes creating a glazed "crystal spine" running the full length of the site (east/west) which will unite the Museum’s galleries and courtyards, another wing west of the building as well as a Study Center.
For more information, visit www.mfa.org.