Footprint for the Grace Hudson Museum Expansion
Ivan B. & Elvira Hart Wing Foundation
Slab for the new wing
Beginning Framing
Almost framed
Enclosed
Inside the new Hart Gallery
Inside the Old Gallery
Progress Report from the "Sunletter"
Groundbreaking for the new Ivan B. and Elvira Hart Wing of the Grace Hudson Museum was held onsite August 18, 2000. This occasion marked the culmination of efforts begun in the early 1980's when the Museum was first envisioned. The original plans called for a larger structure that was ultimately scaled back in size. However, the Museum's founders intended the building to be enlarged in the future to house a permanent display of Grace Hudson's work.
The drive to build the new wing began almost 2 years ago with major bequests and generous donations from Museum supporters. Their generosity has brought the project almost within reach. Of the $1 million budget, $600,000 will cover the construction of the new wing and the renovation of the existing museum; and $400,000 will be placed in an endownment fund to cover the additional staffing and increased operational costs. Museum Director Sherri Smith-Ferri reflected on the success of the project. At the outset, I remember thinking it would take five years, in the best case scenario, to raise the money for a project of this magnitude. And, lo and behold, here we are less than two years later beginning construction. I think Grace must be smiling on us.
Thomas Hise, well known locally for his design of St. Mary's Church, is the architect for the project. Mr. Hise noted how impressed he was with the design of the original Museum. It is very elegant, and the design has held up very well through time with the increasing demands placed on the Museum. The first design team was very farsighted. Thanks to their vision of of future expansion, the costs of this addition have been kept to a minimum. For example, because the original building includes more bathroom stalls and parking spaces than the minimum requirement for its size, we have not had to increase the size of the bathrooms or add additional parking, both of which are expensive propositions.
The first part of the design process happened when Mr. Hise, the Building Committee, and the Museum consultant analyzed the existing building. They looked at the current and future needs of the staff, collection storage and workspace, Museum store, and gallery and meeting spaces. They determined how existing areas could be rearranged and remodeled to meet some of these needs (see footprint, above). Thus, the old collection workspace will be turned into a new art storage vault, the store will move into increased quarters at the front of the Museum, and the administrative offices will shift to where the store and the side-gallery are located now.
The Ivan B. and Elvira Hart Wing will look like it has always been a part of the existing museum with the same roofline and exterior detailing. Inside the new wing there will be three intimate galleries designed with Craftsman-style detailing. The J. Ralph and Lois Stone Gallery will center on Pomoan culture and history and will feature the newly acquired Stone Indian Basket Collection. The Norma and Evert Person Gallery will tell the story of the Hudson-Carpenter family and the early pioneer settlement of inland Mendocino County. The largest Gallery, named after Ivan B. and Elvira Hart, will have a permanent display of Grace Hudson's paintings. As it happened with the original Museum's design, Mr. Hise turned to the Sun House and Grace Hudson's work for inspiration. Director Smith-Ferri believes the current Museum and the planned wing will embody the Sun House's charm. It will be beautiful, practical, and personal.
Mr. Hise and the Museum staff have worked together to research state of the art display and storage technologies to incorporate into the new wing. These include fiber-optic lighting systems for display cases, stereo sound systems for each gallery, interactive video stations, non-glare display glass, and compact art storage systems. The security systems throughout the Museum will be upgraded and surveillance cameras will be installed in all galleries.
Construction began in September, 2000 and will culminate in March, 2001. The Museum will remain closed until then. The Sun House, administrative office and Museum store will remain open for business during the Museum's regular hours.
We welcome you to visit us and take a peek at the construction when you have a chance. Expanding Grace Hudson's cultural legacy is a gift for us all to enjoy.
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