Located in an active 12-acre arboretum, the historic 1920s building was transformed into a contemporary, dynamic, flexible gallery space for rotating exhibits, the university’s art collection, integrated teaching spaces and art conservation. The building, with its unusual architectural elements and priceless artifacts, demanded exceptional care during its refurbishment, the submitting organization says.

The COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain uncertainties forced the project team into a transatlantic scramble to secure sufficient quantities of replacement limestone from the original French quarry that would accurately match the building’s original 1920s-era facade and help the team finish the 17-month renovation on schedule and at budget.

photos by Halkin Mason Photography, courtesy of Saint Joseph's University

The effort required a leap of faith. The team arrived in France to find that the quarry had been shut for 15 years. There were enough “leftover” blocks at the site that could be shipped to a machine shop in Canada for shaping and polishing into the required profiles, though the level of quality was far from certain. Destructive testing confirmed that the blocks would meet ASTM standards for the desired application. The color and veining revealed during the machining process replicated the original material. With a steel beam incorporated into the design to account for a segmented architrave instead of a single-span piece, the replacement limestone elements are virtually indistinguishable from the original construction.

Other exterior work included cleaning the original masonry, re-sealing and painting windows and constructing a new entrance ramp to provide access for disabled visitors. A buffer zone with specialized protective barriers helped protect and preserve the arboretum’s natural beauty and biodiversity. A similar level of care was taken inside, with custom protective panels installed to protect distinctive interior architectural elements, such as the African mask motif tile and an original plaster frieze.

photos by Halkin Mason Photography, courtesy of Saint Joseph's University

Updated mechanical, electrical, acoustics and lighting systems to modern museum standards make the renovated building an appropriate home to works such as retablo folk paintings from South American communities, Spanish colonial paintings and a stained-glass gallery display. Large cast sculptures on long-term loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art occupy the second floor, thanks to a collaboration of art specialists and contractors that orchestrated a complex crane lift to bring the works into the building via a 7-ft  by 11-ft art door installed in the building’s facade. 

Perhaps the most unusual element came from a large 87-year-old tree on site that was removed due to decay. The team collaborated with a local program that teaches carpentry skills to disadvantaged youth to turn wood recovered from the tree into a conference table that is now the centerpiece of the museum’s rare book/seminar room.

photos by Halkin Mason Photography, courtesy of Saint Joseph's University