Peterson Rich Office (PRO) has designed a new Great Hall Gallery for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, occupying 12,000 square feet across five sequential rooms in a former exterior courtyard adjacent to the landmark Great Hall. The renovation exposes and celebrates historic exterior façades from the 1880s and 1890s, creating a layered architectural experience. The space is intended to host rotating exhibitions, particularly the Costume Institute's annual spring show, and is currently under construction.
This project matters because it exemplifies how contemporary interventions in historic buildings can foster a dynamic, participatory relationship with cultural heritage. By bracketing the new gallery between the museum's earliest and most recent architectural chapters, PRO creates a "dialectical image" where past and present illuminate each other. The design embodies temporal layering, offering a space that feels both enduring and adaptable, and reinforces the Met's role as a living cultural institution rather than a static artifact.