NEW YORK, NY.- Last Friday marked the groundbreaking for the renovation and expansion of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, designed by Susan T. Rodriguez of Ennead Architects.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks an exciting step in the transformation of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Our vision for the museum celebrates the vital role of the museum and the arts in the region and redefines its identity and connection to the city and the surrounding landscape.”

“From the outset, we have been inspired by the museum’s collections, the beauty and topography of the surrounding landscape, the creativity and vitality of the museum’s programs and the cultural and industrial history of southwestern Pennsylvania. The design seeks to reinforce those connections and history while at the same time anticipating an exciting future,” said Rodriguez, who leads the design team with management partner Timothy Hartung.

The design creates a new face and identity for the original neo-Georgian building, which enhances the Museum’s link to the City. The L-shaped massing of the expanded building features a new south-facing façade that visually frames the original brick building and forms a linear porch along its length. Perpendicular to this new front façade, a dramatic cantilevered volume projects over the sloping topography and will house new permanent and changing exhibit galleries. Floor-to-ceiling glass at the angled terminus of the cantilever offers panoramic views and reinforces the connection between the Museum’s Southwestern Pennsylvania context and the landscape works of the Scalp Level School, a critical part of the Museum’s collection. The cantilever is anchored to the north by a new brick volume that mirrors the west wing of the existing building and restores the symmetry of the north façade. These two distinct faces balance old and new while extending the Museum’s legacy into the future.

The Museum’s transformation goes beyond the building itself to the site, where a new landscape and sculpture garden is created, taking its design cues from the geometry of the expansion. The design, reached in collaboration with landscape designers LaQuatra Bonci, extends the Museum beyond the walls of its building to forge stronger connections to the city of Greensburg.

The newly renovated and expanded Westmoreland Museum of American Art is scheduled to open in the spring of 2015.