The Walters Art Museum Selects Polshek Partnership Architects to Create Facilities Master Plan

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The Walters Art Museum
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THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM SELECTS POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS TO CREATE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN

Baltimore—The Walters Art Museum announces that Polshek Partnership Architects will develop a comprehensive master plan for the physical use of its buildings and grounds. The selection of the architect was the result of a national search. The master plan, the museum’s first in 11 years, is needed to assess the utilization of existing space more effectively, including future uses of 100 West Centre St., which the museum purchased in November 2005 with a $1.5 million anonymous donation.

In making this announcement, Walters Director Gary Vikan states, “We are pleased to be working with one of the premier firms in the country to create an institution-wide master plan for the Walters’ campus to help fulfill the museum’s mission and guide its development over the next decade. The master plan will include surveying neighborhood residents, museum board, visitors, members and staff to see how we can best serve the community.”

All options and available avenues for improvement to the existing buildings will be carefully explored in the master planning process. The planning process is expected to last approximately nine months.

“In addition to guiding our future physical expansion, the results of these studies will help us gauge our capital and operating income requirements over the next five to ten years,” said Walters Board President Andrea Laporte.

The New York-based Polshek Partnership is a 140-person firm that has expertise in architecture, master planning, historic preservation and interior design for cultural, scientific, educational and governmental institutions. Projects have been published internationally and recognized with numerous awards for design excellence and for their important contributions to the life of their cities. They have extensive experience in programming and facilities master planning for cultural organizations, including the Brooklyn Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery and the American Museum of Natural History.

The Walters Art Museum is located in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon Cultural District at North Charles and Centre streets.  Its permanent collection includes ancient art, medieval art and manuscripts, decorative objects, Asian art and Old Master and 19th-century paintings.  Peabody Court is the official hotel of the Walters Art Museum.  For hotel reservations, call 1-800-292-5500.