Aerial view of the Worcester Art Museum campus showing the original building and the five additions constructed over the course of 85 years.
Safeguarding the Museum and collections
Over the course of the next several years, a range of physical improvements will be made to the Museum’s aging campus. These include building envelope repairs and restorations, plus mechanical, electrical, IT, environmental controls, and fire protection system upgrades—all of which are included in WAM’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026.
The current Museum campus was built in five different stages over the course of 125 years, with the most recent addition now nearly 40 years old. After decades of wear and tear, as well as deferred maintenance, the building has a range of pressing age-related physical plant needs that must be addressed. Adding modern, energy efficient, and code-compliant systems and updating the infrastructure will safeguard the Museum and its collections for generations to come.
The planned infrastructure upgrade projects include the following:
Building Envelope Improvements
- Roof Replacements and Repairs
- New Skylight in the Fuller Conservation Lab
- Exterior Façade and Masonry Repairs
Systems, Infrastructure, and Code Compliance
- Fire Protection and Life Safety
- Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Environmental Controls
- Information Technology
- Art Movement and Storage
Completion of some of these facility upgrades may require temporarily closing galleries or public spaces. Please check our website regularly for communication related to gallery closures and other announcements.
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