WINTER PARK, FL—The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art will begin construction in early summer on a new Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean Pavilion. This project will enhance the Museum’s space dedicated to educational programming and Museum events.
Located at 161 West Canton Avenue (just behind the Museum), the current building has served as the Museum’s programming space since 1995, when a former bank building was minimally adapted for Museum use. Following decades of expanded programming and advances in technology, the new Pavilion will better support the evolving needs of the Museum and its audiences. Work is set to begin this summer and is expected to take at least a year to complete.
The design for this new facility will mirror the architecture and character of the existing Museum campus and feel like a natural extension of the Museum’s current structure. While modernizing the Pavilion’s interior—adding about 3,000 sq ft.—for greater flexibility and functionality, the project will remain within the current Pavilion’s footprint and remain a separate facility.
“The current building was never designed for the way we use it today, and that presents challenges,” says Museum Director and Chief Curator, Jennifer Thalheimer. “While we are sad to see this building go, as the Museum’s programming grows and technology advances, we need a space that will help us continue reaching new audiences. The new Pavilion will provide greater flexibility and help streamline our staff’s work. We are thankful to the Museum’s Board of Trustees for supporting this endeavor,” Thalheimer added. “This is an investment the Board is making to improve and expand our services to our visitors and the community.”
The Museum will remain open throughout construction. Museum programming will continue as usual, with activities taking place at various locations on campus and at offsite venues.
There will be limited parking on campus during construction. Museum visitors may also park on the first, fourth, and fifth floors of the Park Place garage on Canton Avenue, directly across from the Museum, on the street along Park Avenue, and on nearby side streets.
The Pavilion is designed for robust Museum programs and events that continue the Museum’s mission. Consistent with its longstanding purpose, the Pavilion is not available as a rental venue for outside groups.
Project Team
Architect Susan Gantt of Winter Park has designed the new Pavilion to complement the Museum’s current Mediterranean-style features. The complete project team is as follows:
Architect: Susan and Ed Gantt, Winter Park, Florida
Mechanical/electrical/plumbing/engineering: Bobes Associates, Maitland, Florida
General Contractor: Jack Jennings & Sons, Orlando, Florida
Civil Engineer: Avcon, Inc., Orlando, Florida
Structural Engineer: Advance Structural Design, Winter Park, Florida
Acoustical Engineer: Siebein Associates, Gainesville, Florida
Landscape Architect: Joe Knight, Orlando, Florida
Low Voltage: Viamontes Integrated Systems, Windermere, Florida
Security: Bobes Associates, Maitland, Florida
About the Morse Museum
The Morse Museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933), including the chapel he designed for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and art and architectural elements from his Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall. The Museum’s holdings encompass late 19th- and early 20th-century painting and design, including American art pottery. For more information, please visit morsemuseum.org.