Philadelphia Museum of Art's Perelman Building
By STAN PARCHIN
July 8, 2010

Perelman Building (exterior). Photograph courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Perelman Building (lobby). Photograph courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Perelman Building (interior). Photograph courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art.

 
The Philadelphia Museum of Art completed the first phase of its historic campus' expansion on September 15, 2007 with the opening of the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. The distinctive Art Deco structure's two-acre site, facing the hilltop PMA directly across Kelly Drive, is situated near the scenic Benjamin Franklin Parkway. With its pair of arched cathedral-inspired entrances, the edifice and its landscaped terrace command a majestic view of Fairmount Park.
 
PMA's Need for Expansion
Dramatic renovation of the Perelman Building marked the museum's first major expansion since 1977, when its Kienbusch Galleries for Arms and Armor were inaugurated. Construction by Gluckman Mayner Architects, known for the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (1996) and the Museo Picasso (2004), began earnestly in October 2004. A 59,000-square-foot modern addition that respects the landmark character of the former Fidelity Life Insurance Company's headquarters was completed in three years' time. Award-winning Richard Gluckman's design remains noted for its inviting skylit galleria that measures some 35 feet high by 200 feet long.
 
The late Anne d'Harnoncourt, then Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, stated, "The museum's collections began to outgrow available space in our great Neoclassical building more than a quarter of a century ago. The renewed Perelman Building is a celebration of space and light. And springing from that are many new opportunities to delight and inspire our visitors."
 
Expanded Spaces for Art and Study
The Perelman Building includes the Spain Gallery of Costume and Textiles, the Julien Levy Gallery for Photographs and the Collab Gallery for Modern and Contemporary Design. Alongside Pennsylvania Avenue is a light-filled multi-purpose area reserved for special exhibitions. The airy location is also home to the PMA's prints, drawings and archives. The bi-level library reading room and Wachovia Education Resource Center for teachers are located on the second floor. Open to professors, students and researchers by appointment only are the Hamilton Center for Costume and Textiles and the Betsy and Edward Cohen Study Room for works on paper. In addition to much-needed administrative offices, the premises house a conservation laboratory and rooms for climate-controlled art storage.
 
Among the cutting-edge facility's other amenities are a 100-seat café and a bookstore.

 

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