Project Info

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Conservation Center Renovation
Boston, MA

Team:
Samuel Anderson Architects
Alteri Sebor Wieber
Thornton Tomasetti
Consigli Construction Company

 

The Conservation Center at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) is a series of new lab spaces that expands the museum’s ability to care for its vast collections. As the project manager for the renovation project, Anser provided design and construction management services from concept design through commissioning and project closeout.

The MFA is a pillar of the cultural communities of Boston and New England. Founded in 1870, the Museum is one of the largest in the United States and is home nearly 500,000 works of art. It attracts more than one million visitors per year from across the globe to experience a wide range of collections, from ancient Egyptian to contemporary. According to its Board of Trustees, “The Museum’s ultimate aim is to encourage inquiry and heighten public understanding and appreciation of the visual world.”

The 22,000 SF, $30M conservation lab renovation will augment the museum’s capacity to study, care for, and curate its collection with state-of-the-art technology and facilities. The third floor of the existing White Wing was renovated to house furniture and frames conservation, mount making and scientific research. The fourth floor was renovated for painting and objects conservation. An entirely new, efficient climate control system along with a new roof, skylight monitors, solvent exhausts, X-ray room and scientific research equipment will enhance and expand the conservators’ capabilities and efficiency.