MANCHESTER, NH.-The Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH, reopened its doors to the public on Sunday, March 30, 2008 after a 21-month expansion which added 33,000 square feet of gallery, classroom, event, auditorium, and office space. The physical transformation of the museum is supported by a rebranding initiative which reflects the Currier’s commitment to offer enriching, personal encounters with the finest art works and artmaking experiences to all audiences. As a regional museum with collections that rival many metropolitan museums, the reopening provides the perfect opportunity to showcase the Currier’s collections. When the doors reopened on March 30, visitors found that the museum was installed entirely with the works from the museum’s collections.

Designed by Boston-based Ann Beha Architects (www.annbeha.com), the Currier’s
expansion was designed to maximize space for collections, exhibitions, programs, and visitor services while maintaining its appealing, personal scale. This is the second major addition to the 1929 building designed by Tilton and Githens, NYC. In 1982, new pavillions were added by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer of New York.
According to Pamela W. Hawkes FAIA, principal in charge of the project for Ann Beha Architects, “Early in the process, we looked at many alternatives for adding to the museum, and settled on two separate additions which preserve the prominence of the original building as well as the intimacy of its spaces.” The south addition is clad in glass and honed brown terra cotta tiles which harmonize with the limestone of the original building and buff brick of the1980’s pavillions. Tiles are grouped into panels which match the proportions of the original windows, and zinc-sheathed cornices and porticoes at each end reference the streamlined classical details of the original building. Panels of black Italian basalt with a
chiseled finish punctuate the sides and recall New Hampshire’s craggy hillsides.
Visitors enter a new, landscaped drop-off plaza, featuring Origins, a dramatic sculpture by Mark di Suvero acquired especially for the space. On the north, an all-glass façade encloses the new lobby and expanded museum shop. On the south, three new galleries ring an enclosed Winter Garden, which captures the museum’s 1929 façade and offers a unique space for the café, receptions and performances. A staircase from the Winter Garden leads to a new 180-seat auditorium, classrooms and administrative offices on the lower level.