The basic thrust of what they conceived is a new wing including 20,000 square feet for galleries and 5,000 to 10,000 square feet for art storage. Moving the galleries and other changes would then free space in the existing building for classrooms and other needs. The big question, of course, is where to put the addition. In my discussion last week with museum leaders, they presented several possible scenarios, saying that nothing has been decided for sure. But their first choice appears to be an addition that would run parallel with the museum's west side and somehow connect to the front of the building on the south.
Any attached wing is a problem, because it throws off the graceful balance of the current building.
And altering the facade in any way would be particularly disastrous, because its flowing symmetry and subtle but insistent horizontality would be harmed. But Turner said that such fears are premature. He emphasized that museum leaders are sensitive to the building's importance, and he asked that they be given time to complete their planning. The museum, of course, does deserve a chance to show that it is on the right path. But it is not reassuring that it has chosen to make such a critical decision as the addition's siting without the participation of the architect who will ultimately have to design it.