Walker Art Building Design Plan Approved

For the second time in less than six months, the Board of Trustees approved plans to renovate the Walker Art Building, home of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The proposal represents a revised version of the changes presented last May, abandoning the controversial alterations to the facade of the museum.

Proposed changes include the construction of a small glass pavilion on the southern side of the building between the current structure and Gibson Hall, as well as a small addition on the side of the museum that faces Maine Street. The pavilion will be between 400 and 500 square feet and will house a new entrance to the museum that descends to the lower level.

"The pavilion creates a wonderful new entrance to the museum both from the Quad and from Main Street," President Barry Mills said.

Additional renovations approved by the Board last weekend include lowering the bottom floor of the museum in order to create a more usable gallery space, constructing a larger seminar room, improving lighting and climate control, and complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

These changes will give students and faculty more access to the collections for teaching and research and "create a museum that is world class," Mills said. The plans were designed by architects from Boston's Machado & Silvetti Associates.

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