Springfield Art Museum sets 3-year closure period for renovations

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The Springfield Art Museum has scheduled a roughly three-year closure period for upcoming renovations that are part of its $25 million capital campaign.

Museum exhibitions are scheduled to end by Sept. 1, 2024, with renovations expected to start in January 2025 and last through 2027, according to a news release.

Exterior improvements, as well as new educational, public and community spaces, are part of the planned work at 1111 E. Brookside Drive in the Phelps Grove neighborhood, according to past reporting.

Nick Nelson, museum director, said in a statement provided to Springfield Business Journal that the scope of the renovations necessitates a lengthy closure.

"This is a major renovation project that touches all parts of the current facility and involves not only new construction but the unification, modernization, retrofitting and replacement of delicate systems across four obsolete buildings built to differing standards over six previous decades," he said in the statement. "The safety of the public is our No. 1 priority, and we cannot continue to operate the museum in its current facility during the construction due to the scope of the project."

The city of Springfield is working through final negotiations for a construction manager at risk for the project, Nelson said, noting nForm Architecture LLC and Kansas City-based BNIM are on board as architects.

"The addition of the CMAR to the design team will further refine the construction timeline. We are releasing the impending closure information to the public early to prepare the community for the shift in our services during the closure period," said Nelson, noting a goal of achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver green-building certification for the facility. "The museum plans to continue serving the community through a variety of programs while the museum building is closed and will announce these plans as they are finalized."

Nelson said the closure will not result in staffing reductions and that the museum is currently seeking off-site locations for offices, as well as for classes and other programs.

The museum plans to continue programs such as an all-school exhibition and fifth-grade field trips during the closure period, Nelson added.