The Phillips Re-Opens Historic House After Year-Long Renovation

WASHINGTON—The Phillips Collection’s historic house galleries will officially open to the public after being closed for a year-long renovation project. The original home to Phillips Collection founder, Duncan Phillips, will reopen with a housewarming celebration onThursday, June 21, at 6 pm.

Since May 2017, the original 1897 building of The Phillips Collection has been undergoing renovations designed to preserve and enhance the building’s historic character and migrate the house gallery spaces to a fully digitized temperature and humidity control system. A penthouse level with a mansard roof which mirrors that of the original building was added to house the new HVAC equipment, enhancing its anticipated useful life.

The architectural design for the project was developed by Bowie Gridley Architects, and Mueller Associates served as mechanical engineers. The general contractor was Consigli Construction Co. Inc., the firm which also renovated portions of the Renwick Gallery.

“We are approaching an exciting milestone in 2021 when we will commemorate our centennial. These upgrades to the essential control systems governing the temperature and humidity within the museum will ensure the protection of our collection and the enjoyment of our visitors for years to come,” said Phillips Director Dorothy Kosinski.  “We are so grateful to Consigli Construction for their valuable partnership with us on this project.”

Modernist design elements were incorporated throughout the gallery spaces along with light-filtering window systems designed to heighten the protection of the works on view. The fire protection system was also enhanced. Farrow & Ball gave in-kind contribution of paint, and consultation about historically appropriate wall papers and paint colors throughout the house. Architectural enhancements in the gallery spaces will be most notable in the Phillips Music Room, which features upgraded wall paneling to improve sound quality and the attendees’ experience for the many music events in the space, most notably the museum’s renowned Sunday Concert series. The house galleries also exhibit a fresh hang of works of art, enhanced in-gallery information provided by our curators that will enrich our visitors‘ experience, as well as improvements to access for disabled visitors.

The other buildings of the museum remained open to the public during the renovations. Popular exhibitions such as Renoir and Friends: Luncheon of the Boating Party and Ten Americans: After Paul Klee were on view during the closure, and the museum’s award-winning educational programs continued apace. In February 2018, the museum opened a new space in Southeast DC at the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus, Phillips@THEARC.

In-kind support is provided by Farrow & Ball

ABOUT THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION
The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of Modern art, presents one of the world’s most distinguished Impressionist and American Modern art collections. Including paintings by Renoir and Rothko, Bonnard and O’Keeffe, van Gogh, Diebenkorn, Daumier and Lawrence, among others, the museum continues to actively collect new acquisitions, many by contemporary artists such as Wolfgang Laib, Whitfield Lovell, Zilia Sánchez, and Leo Villareal. Its distinctive building combines extensive new galleries with the former home of its founder, Duncan Phillips. The Phillips’s impact spreads nationally and internationally through its highly distinguished special exhibitions, programs, and events that catalyze dialogue surrounding the continuity between art of the past and the present. Among the Phillips’s esteemed programs are its award-winning education programs for educators, students, and adults; well-established Phillips Music series; and sell-out Phillips after 5 events. The museum contributes to the art conversation on a global scale with events like Conversations with Artists and the International Forum. The Phillips Collection values its community partnerships with the University of Maryland—the museum’s nexus for academic work, scholarly exchange, and interdisciplinary collaborations—and THEARC—the museum’s new campus serving the Southeast DC community. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations.

IMAGE: Photo by Lee Stalsworth