Cornell Fine Arts Museum

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The Cornell Fine Arts Museum is an integral part of Rollins College. The most recent renovation project modernized the interior as well as the outside appearance of the museum. The museum is built on the old Morse Museum that was organized by Hugh McKean (’30 ’72H) and his wife, Jeannette McKean (’62H). ACi Architects provided the new design and Walker & Company led the construction process.  After the eighteen-month remodeling finished, the museum reopened its doors on January 20, 2006. Preserving roughly 20 percent of the old museum, the new building now covers 11,000 square feet of space, with a print study room, a gift shop, indoor and outdoor reception areas and more storage area. This massive round of renovations cost approximately $4.5 million and was financed primarily by the donation of George Cornell (’35 ’85H) and his wife Harriet Cornell (’35HAL ’90H) amongst other donors. An indication of the excellence of the museum’s program is its receipt of multiple awards from the Institute of Museum & Library Services.

Built in the Spanish-Mediterranean style, the current interior of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum stands well protected against rapid fluctuations of temperature thanks to technology controlling temperatures and the humidity. The architects have designed the walls to be covered with a textured, carpet-like layer to permit flexibility in the change of the exhibits. Lighting is mounted on tracks around the ceilings to increase visibility around any corner. The display rooms are carpeted and naturally lighted. The new and renovated exhibit halls include: Orientation Gallery, Myers Family Gallery, McKean Gallery, Clive Gallery, Zollo Lakeview Gallery, Siemens Print Study Library, Yust Gallery and Knapp Storage Reserve.