Yale University Art Gallery Renovation and Expansion

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4 5 Books in this series YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY Brooklyn Museum Entry Pavilion and Plaza RENOVATION AND EXPANSION Sarah Lawrence College Heimbold Visual Arts Center William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park New York Hall of Science This is one in a series of books, each of which tells Scandinavia House the story of a single building. It is our hope that Holland Performing Arts Center as these books accumulate alongside our body of Mercersburg Academy Burgin Center work, they, in their aggregate, will form a profile of Lycée Français de New York our design intentions. New York Botanical Garden Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory University of Michigan Biomedical Science Research Building Ennead Architects WGBH Headquarters Brooklyn Museum Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art Newseum/Freedom Forum The Standard, New York Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Penn State Dickinson School of Law Syracuse University Newhouse III National Museum of American Jewish History Common Ground, The Schermerhorn Williams College Paresky Center OSU Scott Laboratory New York City Center Natural History Museum of Utah Stanford Law School Neukom Building Westchester Community College Gateway Center Yale University Art Gallery The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Inpatient Care Center Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Greenberg Center, Belfer Research Building Stanford University, Bing Concert Hall

IN HIS WORDS I resolved, therefore, to begin a new series of my alma mater, but she was rich, and amply endowed. paintings of revolutionary subjects, of a smaller size I then thought of Yale — although not my alma, yet than those in the Capitol, and to solace my heavy she was within my native state, and poor. hours by working on them. I chose the size of six feet by nine, and began. The Gallery now contains fifty five pictures by my ow’n hand, painted at various periods, from my The cholera made its appearance in New York, earliest essay of the Battle of Cannae, to my last soon after I commenced, and was peculiarly fatal composition, the Deluge, including the eight small in the sixth ward, in which I lived. I was busily original pictures of the American revolution, which employed upon the Declaration of Independence, contain the portraits painted from life. when I was attacked by this deadly disease, but, by Thus I derive present subsistence principally from the blessing of Providence on the kind care of my this source, and have besides the happy reflec- JOHN TRUMBULL Left: Trumbull Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, 1860s friends, it passed away in a few days, and without tion, that when I shall have gone to my rest, these The Yale University Art Gallery was founded in any serious consequences. works will remain a source of good to many a poor, 1832 when history painter and portraitist John Right: Reverse of U.S. two-dollar bill, featuring Trumbull’s perhaps meritorious and excellent man. Trumbull sold 28 paintings and 60 miniature por- Declaration of Independence. The original painting is in Funds, however, began to diminish, and I sold scraps traits to the University. Trumbull himself designed the museum’s collection. of furniture, fragments of plate, &c. Many pictures The large set of Revolutionary paintings was not in- a Neoclassical building to exhibit the works. When remained in my hands unsold, and to all appearance cluded in this contract, and indeed, at its date, they the Trumbull Gallery opened to the public on unsaleable. At length the thought occurred to me, did not exist, having been painted since. Five of the October 25, 1832, it became the first college art that although the hope of a sale to the nation, or series are finished, and should my long life be still museum in the United States. While the Trumbull to a state, became more and more desperate from further prolonged, I trust they will all be completed, Gallery is no longer standing, today’s Yale University day to day, yet, in an age of speculation, it might be and they will remain a legacy for posterity. Art Gallery is housed in three historic structures possible, that some society might be will- ing to designed by four architects. possess these paintings, on condition of paying by Autobiography, reminiscences and letters a life annuity. I first thought of Harvard College, my from 1756 to 1841, by John Trumbull

8 9 YALE UNIVERSITY ARTS AREA PLANNING STUDY

10 11 Street Hall (Peter Bonnett Wight, 1865)

Old Yale Art Gallery (Egerton Swartwout, 1928) For the first time in its history, the Gallery occupies all three buildings – Street Hall (Peter Bonnett Wight, 1865), the Old Yale Art Gallery (Egerton Swartwout, 1928) and the iconic Louis Kahn build- ing (1953) – and thus is able to showcase signifi- cantly more of its permanent collection at one time than ever before.

The Art Gallery renovation and expansion design celebrates the stylistic distinctions of three historic buildings and weaves them into a cohesive museum environment dedicated to the display of art.

Louis Kahn building (1953)

12 13 YALE UNIVERSITY ARTS AREA PLANNING STUDY The Center for British Art, the Art Gallery, the Three primary objectives drove the study: to The ultimate scheme called for the creation of a The plan also proposed the expansion of the Art Arts Library, History of Art Department and the determine the optimal use for each existing facility new arts complex on York Street comprised of a Gallery, which would occupy the three-building Schools of Drama, Art and Architecture, and the by analyzing its physical condition, available space, restored A+A Building and an additional building complex of the Kahn Building, Swartwout Hall and Repertory Theatre comprise the campus’s Arts expandability and potential; to encourage, through to house program of the School of Architecture, Street Hall. This materialized in Ennead’s Kahn Build- Area. This comprehensive programming, building these optimizations, a synergy and interdependence the History of Art Department, the Arts Library ing renovation of 2006 and the Yale Art Gallery survey and planning study analyzed seventeen of the arts at Yale while at the same time reinforc- and the Digital Media Center. This plan was realized Renovation and Expansion in 2012. facilities of Yale’s prestigious arts programs and, ing the individual identities of each unit; to encour- in the 2008 Rudolph Hall renovation and Loria predicated on the increasingly cross-disciplinary age an interaction between the arts at Yale and Center expansion. nature of the arts in the twenty-first century, both its immediate community and its many visitors. defined direction for future development.

14 15 RESTORATION OF THE KAHN BUILDING

16 17 This renovation of Louis Kahn’s seminal Yale Art Gal- lery restores the architect’s design intentions, reverses past interventions and upgrades outmoded structural and environmental systems to provide providing the campus and New Haven with an educational and cultural resourceKahn designed building for the optimal preserva- Old Yale Art Gallery Street Hall tion and display of the extensive collection.

Acclaimed for its bold geometry, daring use of light and space and its structural and engineering innova- tions, Louis Kahn’s first significant building houses Yale’s visual art collection. Over the years, the mu- seum’s open spaces had been partitioned into smaller galleries, classrooms and offices. The renovation once again provides the unobstructed, light-filled vistas Kahn envisioned.

18 19 Regarded as a groundbreaking milestone in the development of the modern glass wall, Kahn’s window-wall was nevertheless subject to struc- tural and thermal problems originating from the materials and technology available at the time of its construction. The newly designed window-wall system duplicates the appearance and profiles of the original and accommodates modern museum standards of climate control.

20 21 The complete replacement of the building’s original thermal problems. Following a lengthy and complex window-wall system, most dramatically along the process of planning and testing, the architects and west and north facades was a particularly complex engineers were successful in designing a window-wall and challenging aspect of the renovation. An impor- system that at once addresses the original wall’s tech- tant milestone in the development of the modern nical shortcomings, duplicates the appearance and glass wall, this has long been regarded as one of the profiles of the original, and accommodates modern most distinctive and beautiful features of the Kahn museum standards of climate control. building. However, because of the materials and technology available at the time of its construction, Kahn’s window-wall was subject to structural and

22 23 The renovation also restores an open exterior court- yard, located on the west façade of the basement level, which had been roofed over in the 1970s to create additional interior space. The courtyard is the new site of Richard Serra’s Stacks (1990) sculpture. The window wall on this side of the building, which had been reduced from five to four stories, has also been restored to its original dimensions.

24 25 Kahn’s original – and at the time of its construction, highly innovative – spacious open plan for the interiors has also been restored in the renovation. The building had initially included studios for both art and architecture students, as well as a series of expansive, uncluttered exhibition spaces. However, as the Gallery’s collection grew, the studios were relocated to another building, and the museum’s open spaces were partitioned into smaller galleries, classrooms, and offices. With the removal of these partitions, the galleries once again provide the unobstructed, light-filled vistas Kahn envisioned. The renovation reintroduces a newly engineered version of Kahn’s famous mobile “pogo” wall units, which allow the gallery spaces to be temporarily reconfigured as needed.

The renovation reintroduces a newly engineered version of Kahn’s signature mobile “pogo” wall units, which allow the gallery spaces to be temporarily reconfigured.

26 27 Kahn Ceiling - Axonometric & Section Detail

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008

Highlights of the renovation include the replace- ment of the building’s window-walls; refurbishment of the tetrahedral ceilings, ingeniously designed to house the electrical and ventilation systems; rein- statement of the original open-space layout of the galleries; and transformation of the first-floor lobby into a media lounge, an inviting information center and gathering place.

28 29 30 31 32 33 A sculpture garden on the north side of the build- ing has been expanded and refurbished. Among the most distinctive features of the interiors are the Gallery’s dramatic tetrahedral ceilings. Fashioned of poured concrete and configured to form a three-dimensional matrix of interlocking triangles, they are at once visually arresting and functional, providing housing for the building’s electrical and ventilation system. In addition, the lighting capacity of the Gallery has been doubled.

34 35 OLD YALE ART GALLERY AND STREET HALL

36 37 The comprehensive renovation and expansion of the Yale University Art Gallery transforms the visitor expe- rience of both the Gallery and its esteemed collections. The project unites the Louis Kahn building with Egerton Swartwout’s 1928 Old Yale Art Gallery and Peter Bon- nett Wight’s 1866 Street Hall into a cohesive whole, enabling the Gallery to show a vastly larger portion of its collections than ever before. While each of these buildings is of landmark quality, they could not be more different stylistically. The design celebrates these differ- ences rather than diminishing them in a homogenous museum environment: in its specificity, the architecture is both sympathetic to the different collections but also reinforces them, promoting a synergy between architecture and art.

38 39

FORMER HISTORY OF ART SECTION - BUILT

FORMER HISTORY OF ART FORMER HISTORY OF ART

FORMER HISTORY OF ART

SECTION - EXISTING

40 41 NEWSTUD YSTUDY NEW ELEVATOR GALLERYGALLERY STREET HALL ELEVATOR

SPECIAL EXHIBITION GALLERY

While the Gallery’s three buildings – Street SPECIAL Hall (Peter Bonnett Wight, 1865), the Old Yale EXHIBITION GALLERY Art Gallery (Egerton Swartwout, 1928) and the iconic Louis Kahn building (1953) – are of landmark quality, they could not be more different stylistically. The design rejoins the buildings, all of which were originally intended for use by the Yale University Art Gallery but, over the long history of the campus, had been utilized for other purposes. The challenge was to unify them into a cohesive, state-of-the-art museum environment while main- taining and celebrating the unique identity of each.

The three structures have been returned to their original purity and integrity through restoration of the historic interior architectural elements and finishes and the historic facades of all build- ings. Within, the reconfigured Gallery creates a state-of-the-art museum environment with the introduction of new stair and elevator systems to unify circulation patterns, upgraded mechani- cal systems and improved thermal performances of the exterior walls. Most importantly, the new additions and interventions have been designed to achieve equilibrium with the landmark historic ar- chitecture. The overall design, both restoration and contemporary interventions, has a light footprint that allows the art to come to the fore.

42 43 This comprehensive renovation and expansion rein- vigorates the Yale University Art Gallery, showcasing the encyclopedic permanent collection of one of America’s most venerable university art museums and rationalizing the museum-goer’s experience. The design celebrates the stylistic distinctions of three historic buildings and weaves them into a cohesive ensemble dedicated to the display of art.

44 45 46 47 Throughout the galleries of each building, architec- ture and art are harmonized. For example, classical sculpture has been relocated to a gallery, whose immense Roman arched windows flood the space with light.

48 49 The newly expanded Gallery contains 69,975 square feet of exhibition space (compared to 40,266 square feet prior to the expansion), and occupies the length of one-and-a-half city blocks to meet the programmatic and spatial needs for exhi- bition as well as academic instruction. A new glass stairway and elevator unify the circulation patterns of the three buildings into one logical flow, provid- ing a seamless visitor experience. The placement of temporary exhibitions in a new rooftop structure atop the historic buildings draws the visitor through the collection to the new suite of galleries and a new rooftop sculpture terrace. Clad in zinc and glass, this addition is set back from the perimeter of the roof in order to minimize its visibility from the street, thereby preserving the original façade of the 1928 building. The variety of spaces and experienc- es in the newly created three-building continuum have enabled the Gallery’s director and curatorial staff to organize the collections in a logical and un- interrupted sequence, in spaces that complement and enhance the art they contain.

50 51 52 53 The interiors of Street Hall, the first university art school building in the United States, have been restored, including the preservation and reuse of historic architectural elements and finishes. A new stairway and elevator unify the circulation patterns of the Kahn Building, the Old Yale Art Gallery, and Street Hall into one logical flow. The thermal performance of the exterior walls and windows of the two older buildings have been upgraded, new mechanical systems have been installed to provide greater temperature and humidity control, and the historic masonry façades of both buildings have been restored.

54 55 56 57 58 59

Laylight Restoration & Continuity

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008

Laylight Restoration & Continuity

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008 Laylight Restoration & Continuity

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008

60Laylight Restoration & Continuity 61

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008 62 63 64 65 SECOND FLOOR PLAN

EAST-WEST SECTION Street Hall - Elevator & Stair

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008 66 67 68 69 4th Floor Gallery Ceiling Suspension System

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008

70 71

Swartwout - 4th Floor Gallery

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY POLSHEK PARTNERSHIP ARCHITECTS SWARTWOUT AND STREET HALL COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION PROJECT October 28, 2008 Further reinforcing the integration of the three buildings, a new rooftop structure links the Old Yale Art Gallery to the fourth floor of the Kahn build- ing and provides a suite of new special-exhibition spaces. Clad in zinc and glass, the new addition is set back to create a rooftop sculpture terrace and to minimize its visibility from the street, thereby preserving the original façade of the 1928 building.

72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 DRAWINGS

80 81 82 83 Ground floor

1. Lobby 2. Permanent Collections 3. Special Exhibitions 4. Classrooms S. Pnnts and Drawings Study Room 6. Offices 7. Collection Management 8. Sculpture Court

84 85

First floor SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0”

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” Second floor

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0”

1. Lobby 2. Permanent Collections 3. Special Exhibitions 4. Classrooms S. Pnnts and Drawings Study Room 6. Offices 7. Collection Management 8. Sculpture Court

Third floor 86 SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” 87

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” Fourth floor

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0”

Fifth floor

1. Lobby 2. Permanent Collections

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” 3. Special Exhibitions 4. Classrooms S. Pnnts and Drawings Study Room 6. Offices 7. Collection Management 8. Sculpture Court

Sixth floor 88 SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” 89

SCALE: 1/16”=1’-0” section section

90 91 CLIENT BOOK CREDITS TEXTS Yale University Art Gallery Designers Editor ENNEAD ARCHITECTS Contributors Yale University Art Gallery Design Team: Richard Olcott, Duncan Hazard, Joseph Fleischer, Todd Van Varick, Lloyd DesBrisay, David Tepper, Jane Lin, Kevin Krudwig, Charmian Place, Gary Anderson, Kingman Brewster, BUILDING PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Geisinger, Margaret Gorman, Brad Groff, Gihong Kim, Christopher Lewis, Nathan McRae, Adam Mead, Kenichiro Mito, Dona Orozova, Michael Regan, Setu Shah, Paul Stanbridge, Frederick Tang, Akari Yakebayashi, OTHER IMAGES Jordan Yamada

Kahn Building Renovation Design Team: Duncan Hazard, James Polshek, Richard Olcott, Steven Peppas, Lloyd DesBrisay, Robert Condon, Gary Anderson, Marlon Aranda, Felicia Berger, Chris Boyer, Kimberly Brown, Yong Joon Cho, Stephen P-D Chu, Alex Leung, Jim Macho, Marianne Madigan, Cheryl McQueen, Anh Montgomery, Peter Mullan, Craig Mutter, Jesse Peck, Damyanti Radheshwar, Marissa Sweig-Trigger, Hans Walter

CONSULTANTS Structural Robert Silman Associates, P.C. MEP / FP Altieri Sebor Wieber LLC Consulting Engineers Civil BVH Integrated Services Landscape Towers|Golde Landscape Architects and Site Planners LLC Lighting Hefferan Partnership Lighting Design Lighting (Kahn Building) Fisher Marantz Stone Acoustics Shen Milsom & Wilke LLC Security Ducibella Venter & Santore Specifications Robert Schwartz & Associates Code / Life Safety Hughes Associates, Inc. Cost Estimating Vermeulens Cost Consultants Cost Estimating (Kahn Building) Wolf & Company, P.C. Exterior Envelope Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. Exterior Glass Wall (Kahn Building) Gordon H. Smith Corporation detail Exterior Diagnostics/Design (Kahn Building) James R. Gainfort Consulting Architects, PC Elevator Iros Elevator Design Services, Inc. Elevator (Kahn Building) Van Deusen & Associates Historic Preservation Building Conservation Associates, Inc. (BCA) Historic Preservation (Kahn Building) David G. De Long Graphics (Kahn Building) OPEN Design Food Service (Kahn Building) Romano Gatland

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Dimeo Construction (Yale University Art Gallery) Barr & Barr, Inc. Builders (Kahn Building)

92 93 94 95 96