Plans for the expansion and renovation of the Asian Art Museum in Seattle unveiled
By David Malone, Associate Editor
For the first time since it was completed in 1933, Seattle’s Asian Art Museum is set to undergo a substantial renovation and expansion. LMN Architects announced the initial design for the renovation with the goal of ensuring the museum remains an important cultural resource moving forward.
Originally designed by the architectural partnership of Bebb and Gould, the museum’s expansion and renovation will take the Art Deco building and enable it to showcase more of its permanent collection while also providing more space to allow for additional special, temporary exhibitions.
A three-story expansion will provide new gallery space, education space, and administrative offices. A new terrace overlooking the east lawn has also been proposed and a glass park lobby addition will help improve circulation through the galleries and provide visual connections to the park.
In addition to the museum-specific updates, HVAC, fire safety, and seismic upgrades will also be made to the eight-decade-old building.
Funding for the project, whose budget currently sits at about $49 million, will be a mixture of public and private funds. And while fans of the museum sill surely be excited about the updates, the expansion and renovation does mean the museum will close at the end of February 2017 and not reopen until 2019.
