Architecture Firm Peterson Rich Office On Designing for Art Institutions

That said, the architects had a lot to consider when making their design. Besides the existing historic nature of the buildings already on campus and the delicate nature of the artworks to be housed there, students, faculty, and the public alike will use the space as a thoroughfare. 

The resulting structure is 8,500 sq ft and two channels, one being the lobby entrance that allows for natural light and offers connections between neighboring structures. This part of the building is made of steel, wood, and glass. 

As one ventures deeper into the space, there is a print gallery and teaching gallery. Due to the sensitive nature of the prints, this part is physically quite different as it is climate controlled and cannot have any natural light. Materiality was important to the Peterson Rich Office, which makes sense, as architecture walks the line between sculpture and function. In this instance, they chose to create the second wing with thick, stone walls.

Recently asked about their experience on the creation of the Pruzan Art Center, Founding Partner Nathan Rich shared, “The project was an opportunity to bring this long hidden and impressive art collection to the center of campus to be experienced by a wide range of students and community members. 

We worked to carefully stitch the new building into the surrounding context so people would be encouraged to move through it and perhaps unexpectedly discover the galleries.” 

Aesthetically, his use of the word stitch is not only unique, but offers a visual interpretation of how these architectural materials come together. When working within an existing family of buildings, so many things need to be considered, and we can almost conceptually think of bridging this space in the same way that one might combine the colorful components of a quilt. 

Upon approaching the building, one is greeted by an entrance of large vertical glass windows, stretching across the expanse. The two surrounding buildings are defined as neoclassical and were brought to fruition by the legendary team of McKim, Mead, and White, who also designed the Low Memorial Library at Columbia University in New York, inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. 

For additional context, Charles McKim, William Mead, and Stanford White, while establishing their practice in 1879, readily inspired after their trips to Europe. 

In addition to their contributions at the Wesleyan and Columbia campuses, the trio was also known for the Brooklyn Museum, Boston Public Library, and the iconic Washington Square Arch in Greenwich Village, New York.

The latter was designed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of George Washington’s inauguration. So, the team at Peterson Rich Office has their work cut out for them and tackled it with a sense of efficiency, artistry, and design flair. 

“The Pruzan Art Center provides both a contemplative focus for viewing art in its enclosed gallery and spatial connectivity to the adjacent Frank Center for Public Affairs and Olin Library. Thus, it is a center both in the sense of sanctuary for the collection and in the sense of meeting place for the campus community. 

As architecture, it makes interstitial space into a renewed asset,” said Joseph Siry, Professor of Art History, Kenan Professor of the Humanities, and Co-Coordinator of Urban Studies, Wesleyan.

On top of this successful undertaking, it was recently announced that Peterson Rich Office will be responsible for making a new special exhibition gallery at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, along with designing a fresh take on the museum's dining and retail experiences. 

The Met museum has a very… old-fashioned… restaurant, Great Hall Balcony Cafe, on the second level not far from the main central staircase, and a ‘newish’ cafeteria style dining space called the Petrie Court Cafe on the first level, through a wing that contains some well-known Rodin sculptures. 

The Met museum might be one of the most difficult buildings within which to construct new architectural components. Offering a vast array of artworks from antiquity to the present, the museum was built in 1870. While in many ways this aesthetic refresh might be seen as overdue, for many, it comes at just the right time. 

Over the last several years, contemporary artists such as Nairy Baghramian, Lee Bul, and Jeffrey Gibson were chosen as part of The Facade Commission (Gibson’s is upcoming), where each artist was invited to design work for the historic exterior. These works, in turn, have often been a deep visual contrast to The Met’s facade and could maybe be seen as a foreshadowing to how Peterson Rich Office will disrupt, while also seamlessly engage with, the pre-existing interior. 

In regards to the future of architectural spaces where art is housed, Nathan Rich added, “Our office is interested in creating spaces for contemporary art in existing buildings that have historic significance.” He continued, “We believe that positioning new and old structures together, through juxtaposition, framing, and coexistence, can layer new meanings onto both. 

The Wesleyan project site was an exciting opportunity to explore this approach with a new structure. We’re likewise working on similar ideas at the Metropolitan Museum through the design of a new special exhibitions gallery which sits adjacent to the historic Great Hall.” 

This monumental new gallery at The Met is scheduled to be completed by 2026, with the remaining components to follow. The Pruzan Art Center at Wesleyan is open to the public and has free entry Monday through Friday from 12:30-4:30 PM.