Art Museum Finishing Downward Expansion
By Justin Udo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia Museum of Art is putting the finishing touches on its massive new art handling facility.
The new addition to the Art Museum is hiding in plain sight.
When museum officials decided to build this 62,000 square foot add-on, things started to look down. No really, they dug into the ground underneath the museum.
Gail Harrity is the president and chief operating officer of the museum. She says by building down instead of out they were able to stay true to the museum's roots and, "Respect the architectural integrity of the original building. What they've done is so impressive."
The facility houses giant loading docks, carpenter rooms, educational space and a production studio.
"It will allow us to reopen one of the great architectural spaces in Philadelphia -- this vaulted walkway that goes from the Schuylkill River Park to Kelly Drive."
The $81 million project took two years to complete and Harrity says it paves the way for them to tackle other projects.
