Footprint for the Future Campaign

The Expansion

A year-round calendar of exhibitions and Woodmere Art Museum's permanent collection fully displayed in a new, expanded 21st century facility will be a dream come true. Planning a 24,000 square foot addition in many ways began with the founder. Charles Knox Smith, who died in 1916, envisioned his home and private art collection would be "maintained for the free use, benefit, and enlightenment of the public." The fullest realization of Knox's vision has been a dream over twenty years in the making. A dream that will be made possible by gifts, donations, and bequests great and small, fulfilling the campaign's $20 million goal. 

Model of the Planned Expansion.

For two decades, renovations to the charming Victorian-era building have concentrated on converting Smith's private residence into a public art museum. In 1981, construction of a climate controlled, fully secure, and fireproof state-of-the-art storage facility to protect the Museum's growing collection was completed.

In the mid-80s, new electrical and lighting systems were installed and air conditioning was added to the exhibition galleries. A barrier free entrance and ramp system made major portions of the building accessible to the disabled.

In 1987 the Helen Millard Children's Gallery was opened featuring works by Philadelphia area children. Today, Woodmere's educational programs reach thousands of children annually and serve sixty Philadelphia-area public, private, and parochial schools.

The Museum renovated the second and third floors and the upper levels of the tower adding 2,000 square feet to house the Edward M. David Library and Research Center, a spacious conference room, and administrative offices in the mid-90s.

In spite of all these superb, necessary improvements gallery space remained limited. Only a fraction of the permanent collection including: The Fatal Wounding of Sir Philip Sidney by Benjamin West, Francis Cropsey's, The Spirit of Peace, and Woodmere's magnificent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionists could be enjoyed at any one time.

Now because of an initial extraordinary $5 million gift from the estate of Dwight V. Dowley, Esq. that will change. With this gift the Museum would realize Charles Knox's Smith's vision to the fullest and best serve the collection and Woodmere's nearly 50,000 annual visitors. The planned expansion will be a natural extension of the original, grand, 19th century home and is designed to complement, not overwhelm; to be in harmony with the environment and neighboring properties.  In addition to the estimated $15 million needed for the building, the Campaign includes $5 million for endowment, bringing the total goal to $20 million.    

When completed, the Woodmere Art Museum addition will join the distinguished list of prominent civic buildings by world-renowned architectural team of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown; a destination that will honor Philadelphia's artistic legacy for generations to come. Not only will this better serve the Museum's permanent collection and annual visitors, it will also serve to promote the city and the region as a tourist destination, enriching the heritage of its community.

Why Expand?

• Gallery space remains limited in the existing building. Only a fraction of the permanent collection including "The Fatal Wounding of Sir Philip Sidney" by Benjamin West, "The Spirit of Peace" by Jasper Francis Cropsey, and Woodmere's magnificent collection of Pennsylvania Impressionists can be enjoyed at any one time.
• Woodmere's collection includes more than 1,000 prints, drawings, and photographs by noted Philadelphia artists like Severo Antonelli, Violet Oakley, and Herbert Pullinger. Woodmere also holds an important archive of autographic documents and ephemera through its long and distinguished history of exhibiting and collaborating with regional artists and art organizations. Administrative, business, and exhibition records from more than 60 years of operation add to this valuable resource. These works must be housed in an environmentally stable facility specifically designed for their optimum and secure storage.
• Currently, the Museum must use existing gallery space for public events like lectures, receptions, fundraisers, meetings, and school functions, placing the artworks in a potentially harmful environment. Because of conflicts with the exhibitions, we are unable to accommodate space requests from community organizations.
• Dedicated preparatory space will support exhibitions and installations of thousands of works of art annually, as well as provide a safe and efficient work area for carpentry and fabrication activities.
• A multi-purpose auditorium will accommodate more than 200 people providing a venue for lectures, films, school functions, meetings, fundraisers, and receptions.
• The Museum Store is currently too small to generate any substantial revenue in support of Woodmere's mission. The relocated Museum Store will serve local and regional artists with five hundred and thirty square feet of retail space.
• Office space in the existing building is no longer sufficient to support the demands of a growing exhibition and public programming schedule. The meeting place needs of trustees, volunteer committees, and community organizations have also grown beyond current capacity.

Who is the Architect?

When completed, the Woodmere Art Museum addition will be one of the most prominent civic buildings in Philadelphia ever completed by the world-renowned architectural team of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. Venturi Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. -- under the leadership of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown -- has helped transform contemporary architecture and is regarded as a driving force in the shaping of late twentieth-century design.

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown

The firm's current and recent projects include the First Campus Center at Princeton University, the Perelman Quadrangle Campus Center at the University of Pennsylvania and currently, directing the University of Michigan Campus Master Plan and designing the University's Life Sciences Institute and Commons building -- a complex of several facilities.

Other projects in the Philadelphia area include student centers at the University of Delaware and Swarthmore; laboratories at Penn and Princeton; and library building renovations at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

The firm also designed the Seattle Art Museum, the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London, and the renovation and addition to the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. During this project, VSBA revealed once more the Scripps House, by Irving Gill, at the center of the museum and created new spaces and an exterior that enrich the museum's image and civic presence, and provide amenity for museum goers. 

Venturi has been honored with the prestigious Pritzker Prize among others, noting that he "has expanded and redefined the limits of the art of architecture in this century, as perhaps no other has through his theories and built works." Together, the couple was awarded the National Medal of the Arts, authorized by Congress to recognize "individuals or groups who, in the President's judgment, are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States."

When Will the Addition be Completed?

We anticipate to break ground in the fall of 2007. We expect to complete the project within two years.

Drawing of Multipurpose Auditorium.

How Do I Participate?

Contributions of time, talent, and financial resources are needed before, during, and after the Campaign. There are many naming opportunities available in the new building and many prospects for memorial designations.

Contact information:

If you would like to help with the Footprint for the Future Campaign or want additional information, contact the Development Office at 215-247-7224.

CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE
Presidents of the Board of Trustees

Dr. Jay Eshleman
Ralph Hirshorn
Charles J. Ingersoll
Robert E. May, M.D.
Joseph A. Nicholson, AIA, IDSA
Sedra Schiffman

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Woodmere Art Museum, Celebrating the legacy of Philadelphia Art & Philadelphia Artists.