Work Begins on New Williams College Museum of Art
The museum is projected to open in fall 2027.
The building will feature a single-story layout with expansive public spaces and integrated landscape on the site of the old Williams Inn.
"The other thing that I love to highlight at this early point in talking about the building's location is it is at the entrance to campus and at the entrance to town, and it carries a really energizing message that Williams and Williamstown are a place of creativity and community," said Pamela Franks, Class of 1956 director of the museum. "The welcoming and approachable design signals that the arts are for everyone and really an inclusive and kind of generative force in our town."
The design will provide greater access for the community and allow for more educational programming, especially for kindergarten through Grade 12.
"Our aspiration from the start has been to create a building that is itself a work of art as well as a home for art," said Franks. "And that adds significantly to the architectural distinction of this area."
The project managers offered details on the design and timeline Thursday night at the new Williams Inn. More than 60 people attended the hourlong presentation that was also video recorded.
Designer Beka Sturges, a principal at Reed Hilderbrand, said the aim was to blend art and nature, emphasizing environmental stewardship and educational potential. Sturges and Reed Hilderbrand have been involved with Williams' projects for at least 20 years.
Key features include a native flowering meadow, a woodland garden, and the planting of more than 1,000 trees — which will set the tone before the construction even begins.
"Because you educate so many people who go into the world to work in museums and in education, your influence in what happens in this kind of small town actually shapes how people experience art and think about it," she said. "So this is a kind of tiny project that is potentially quite influential, and it is an amazing, I think, opportunity for you, the community of Williamstown, to shape how we think about the intersection of ecology, nature teaching and daily lives."
Sturges said the goal was to bring the forest closer, create four-season views using native and adaptive plantings, bridge the landscape to Field Park, mirror the pastoral views and blend in Hemlock Brook, and "to return some of the views that had been obscured over time with the way that inn had been developed."
Reed Hildebrand began a landscape study of the campus in 2017 and found there was nature along the "ecological" edge, the campus core and a "lost zone" in between.
That provides the college the opportunity to think about designed ecologies, stewardship and teaching an appreciation for nature, said Sturges.
"This is the first project that we've gotten to work on with the college that allows us to think about what that could mean," she said. "How can you design a site that serves all the needs for teaching and community coming together and also really seek to achieve the highest ecological promise?"
The existing forestland is "really a sick forest" and full of invasives, said Sturges. "The goal is to build a thriving, adapted forest condition with many different species, so that it's resilient and species that grow at different rates."
In terms of actual construction, Skanska Integrated Solutions is the program manager and Consigli Construction Co. Inc. of Latham, N.Y., the contractor.
Plantings will begin in 2025 and continue through the summer on the north and west sides. Foundation work begins this fall and timber superstructure will arrive next summer. Final plantings and interior work should start in fall 2026.
Plans for the site work on the northwest side near Hemlock Brook will go before the Conservation Commission this month.
Abuttors can expect to receive regular activity notices and monthly construction updates will be posted to the project website on the last Friday of each month.
The former Northside Motel will be used for construction offices and employee parking. Temporary parking will also be on the site into next year.
"We've started to put in our erosion control measures around the project site, doing some general clearing of trees to be able to put in those measures, as well as put in the site construction fencing around the entire site, which will start next week," said Abigail Berkebile of Consigli. "Starting middle of December through the winter, we'll be putting in all of the building foundations and gearing up towards mass timber install in the spring of 2025."
There may be some instances of weekend work but working hours will generally be 8 to 5 on weekdays.
Irvin Propps, senior superintendent, said a guard will be at Gate A,the entrance off the roundabout, and that subcontractors have been notified they cannot access the site until 8 a.m.
"Once we have the fencing in place, we'll have all the signage put in place, we'll do additional crosswalk striping so we can actually create a situation where it's clean, it's thoughtful," Propps said. "We want to manage the condition. We're trying to be respectful to the neighborhood and be a successful project with having clean construction activity."
In response to questions, a cultural resource consultant found no indications of Fort Hoosac; diversity will be considered when hiring commences; there was no knowledge of long-term plans for the Northside Motel or Town Hall; it was believed the plantings would be enough to screen Fort Hoosac Road and abutters were asked for some patience while the plants grow.
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