Construction on Penn State’s new $85 million Palmer Museum of Art is now underway

Penn State and Centre County officials joined together Friday at a ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Palmer Museum of Art, which will be located next to the botanical gardens at The Arboretum at Penn State.

The $85 million project officially broke ground at the end of July. The 71,000-square-foot museum is projected to open in fall 2023. The facility will replace the 49-year-old Curtin Road location and is expected to boost accessibility of the university’s art collections, university officials said.

“The Palmer Museum has long been one of the region’s cultural treasures, and one of its most distinguishing characteristics is the collection of American art,” Penn State President Eric Barron said. “I have no doubt that the new Palmer Museum at The Arboretum at Penn State will strengthen and sustain the aesthetic experience at Penn State, and it will become a destination for art lovers, scholars, families and community members.”

The design will feature “a series of interlocking pavilions clad in regional stone that evokes the geology of central Pennsylvania,” according to a news release, and be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. It will also include indoor and outdoor courtyards for social gathering.

“The new building departs from the outdated model of museum as temple; in contrast, the design represents the innovative concept of museum as forum, a place where ideas are discussed, debated and circulated, where museum-based learning is presented on a broad spectrum, and where visitors can discover spaces for reflection, restoration and connection to nature,” Erin Coe, director of the Palmer Museum of Art, said.

The university’s board of trustees voted 26-7 in May to approve the construction, with some trustees expressing concern about Penn State’s need to borrow up to $62 million to pay for it. More than $20 million has been raised toward the overall cost through the university’s current fundraising campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence.”

The future use of the current museum will be determined by a university task force, according to a news release.

This story was originally published August 29, 2021 at 1:51 PM.