New Barnes Museum on the Parkway

The Barnes Foundation has finally announced their plans for the new museum which is slated to be built at 21st St. and the Ben Franklin Parkway. Let's put aside the fact that I still have really mixed feelings about the relocation of the Barnes at all. I love its' current setting, in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood, far away from the craziness of the Downtown Philadelphia area.

I can appreciate, however that it's distance from Center City is a hindrance to its' financial longevity. I get that. SO, on to the new location. I do think that the future home of the Barnes collection is in a great spot - if it has to be moved. I love the idea of growing our museum district on the Parkway. AND, the previous occupant of that parcel of land, the Youth Studies Center (a fancy name for a juvenile prison) just didn't fit. I understand the necessity of having such an institution, and I also understand that no one else particularly wants it, but a prison sandwiched between the majestic main branch of the Free Library and the Rodin Museum?

Anyway, the new design was announced, and Inga Saffron commented on it in today's Inqy. I don't have any particularly strong feelings about the building; it was designed to fit in unobtrusively to the landscape, but it's more than unobtrusive - it's kind of blah. I also wonder why there couldn't be more windows. I mean, I think the LAST thing we possibly need is another cement or brick or whatever box sitting along the street. There are some windows, but they don't quite alleviate the sense of being an impenetrable box, nor can it possibly allow that much natural light in to the gallery itself.

Also, I think they could have done so much more in terms of making sure that the new museum fit in cohesively with the existing landmarks on the Parkway. Hello - they're going from this beautiful building designed by Paul Cret to a box. That's it. I'm actually getting more irritated the more that I think about it. By the way, the French architect Paul Cret designed the building that the Barnes collection currently resides in, AND he designed the Rodin museum, which is essentially right next door to the future home of the Barnes collection. Tod Williams and Billie Tsien couldn't come up with anything better that would somehow bridge the gap between the old and new?

Anyway, I think I need one more trip to the "original" Barnes before it closes for good. As most of my friends know, Impressionist Art is one of - if not my favorite - genre, and I just love being in that space. It will be nice that it's closer to where I live; hopefully the new location won't require a reservation made in advance to see the exhibits!