CHESTNUT HILL, MASS.- Boston College has begun construction to convert the former residence of Boston’s Cardinal Archbishop into a premier art museum, by relocating its McMullen Museum of Art from an academic building on its main campus in Chestnut Hill to a new 26,000-square foot facility on its Brighton Campus.

Located at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton, and scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2016, the new venue will double the museum’s current exhibition area. It is being funded by a lead gift from the McMullen Family Foundation.

“We are grateful to the McMullen family for their lead contribution, which will provide a welcome addition to Boston College and the local community,” said Boston College President William P. Leahy, SJ.

The McMullen Museum, which attracts between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors a year with displays that rival those in major museums, has won critical acclaim from national and international media. In its presentation of groundbreaking retrospectives on renowned artists—such as Edvard Munch, Paul Klee, Georges Rouault, Gustave Courbet and, most recently, Wifredo Lam—art critics say, provides the Great Boston community with a close-up and often exclusive view of diverse and outstanding art.

The building, designed by Boston architects Maginnis and Walsh and built in 1927 in the Roman Renaissance Revival Style, was home to Cardinals O’Connell, Cushing, Medeiros and Law, before being sold by the Archdiocese of Boston in 2004 to help settle its obligations stemming from clergy sexual abuse. Since acquiring the property and the surrounding 65-acre Brighton Campus, Boston College has used the first floor of the building for university conference space. The new museum will feature main art galleries on the second floor, with a smaller gallery and support space on the third. The first floor conference center will also display old master and 19th-century American paintings from the museum’s permanent collection.

“With state-of-the art technology and movable walls, the enlarged gallery spaces of the new museum will nearly double the area for temporary exhibitions, which will allow for greater flexibility to expand and/or mount simultaneous displays,” said McMullen Museum Director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer.

“These new spaces will provide enhanced opportunities for faculty research to inform exhibitions and student instruction across disciplines, especially in the field of museum studies. The elegant addition with a dedicated entrance and increased amenities will also enhance the visitor experience, inviting even more of the Greater Boston community to participate in our programming,” said Netzer.

The new museum is made possible through the support of longtime benefactors and namesakes the late John McMullen, a former Boston College trustee, and his wife, Jacqueline. John McMullen, a former naval architect, marine engineer and businessman, was the former owner of the New Jersey Devils and Houston Astros.

“The new facility will provide a more welcoming and accessible venue with expanded features for members of the community,” said Jacqueline McMullen. “Our hopes are for a university museum that focuses on new scholarly research and on educating the next generation of museum goers and curators.”

BC’s Associate Vice President of Capital Projects Management Mary Nardone said that while the renovation of the building will preserve the exterior façade, there will be an addition of approximately 7,000 square feet to increase its functionality. “Working with the architect, DiMella Shaffer Associates, the goal was to create a design that is fitting for the museum, without competing with the special nature of the architecture of the existing building,” said Nardone. “The entry will provide an opportunity for visitors to see beyond the new addition to the formal lawn, while the third floor will include outdoor space that will provide wonderful views of the Brighton Campus.”

The McMullen Museum will remain operational in Devlin Hall on the Chestnut Hill Campus until the new museum is opened in 2016. It will continue to be free and open to the public.

“We think that the relocated McMullen Museum of Art is a great fit for this property, and are pleased that it has the support of the Allston-Brighton community and City Hall,” said Vice President for Government and Community Affairs Tom Keady. “We look forward to hosting exhibits that will be more easily accessible to students as well as neighbors and residents throughout Boston and Newton.”