Completed 2020
11,700 square feet

The Williams College Museum of Art currently resides in the historic 44,000 SF Lawrence Hall, a combination of additions and renovations including parts dating back to 1844 and a notable 1980s Charles Moore expansion. The result is a building with a rich history but an aging interior for their famous museum. Oudens Ello was brought on to assess how best to utilize the historic building in order to modernize and expand the existing museum spaces. This exercise resulted in a series of surgical interventions which included transforming a cramped store space into a new arts space and ticketing area for the museum as well as a series of renovations to existing galleries and offices.

The most visible change was the conversion of the museums’ cramped gift shop into an intimate gallery space and improved security and sales desk for the hall. A new entry desk by the stairs brought together three separate services - greeters, retail, and security - into a single staggered entry desk. The resulting space allowed for the creation of space that could be used for small lectures, exhibitions or general lounge space.