PITTSFIELD — When work is finished on the third and final phase of the Berkshire Museum’s renovation, its leaders are hoping visitors will find it both familiar and exciting, while encouraging curiosity.
The familiar collections that longtime visitors love and appreciate will still be there, but presented in fresh ways that connect the dots between history, art and science, Executive Director Kimberley Bush Tomio said Monday.
Meanwhile, the museum aquarium will move upstairs to the first floor and double in size, with new species including moon jellyfish joining the museum’s aquatic collection.
The grand staircase of the Berkshire Museum on South Street in Pittsfield will remain in place when first floor renovations are complete.
The work, described by the museum as a “transformative renovation,” is expected to begin in October. Once construction is underway, the museum will post the most up-to-date information on the project at berkshiremuseum.org/construction.
“When you walk in, you’ll see fresh new walls, displays and experiences,” Bush Tomio said. “It will make people feel there’s a lot of life in this place … that it still sparkles and excites. You’ll find something that means a lot to everyone.”
A ball python explores its surroundings in the Reptile Room at the Berkshire Museum.
“People will see things that have been on display for a while, but not realize it because they’re displayed differently,” she added. “They’ll approach it with a sense of discovery — “oh man, I didn’t know that was in the collection.’”
The reimagining of the first floor is the third and final phase of renovations at the 121-year-old museum. Its second floor has undergone a $3.5 million renovation and $2 million in repairs in repairs and upgrades have been made to the building’s sewer lines, foundation and freight elevator.
The aquarium at the Berkshire Museum is a favorite of young visitors.
Aquarium, theater changes
While the museum has moved away from earlier plans to snake the aquarium throughout the first floor, it remains the most prominent addition. It will move into the space currently occupied by the 300-seat auditorium, commonly known as the “Little Cinema.”
While the museum has moved away from earlier plans to snake the aquarium throughout the first floor, it remains the most prominent addition.
In turn, a new 75-seat auditorium and lecture hall will be built in a space off the lobby.
“Through a thoughtful design and innovative presentation, the new aquarium will serve as an exciting educational resource, offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to engage with and learn about diverse aquatic and terrestrial species, including new species such as moon jellyfish,” according to a statement from the museum.
The Little Cinema at the Berkshire Museum.
“Our visitors from near and far have a deep love for our aquarium,” Bush Tomio said in the statement. The museum is “thrilled” to move the aquarium to the main floor, not only expanding its size but “interweaving our ‘living exhibition’ with updated gallery spaces that blend our vast collections of art, science, and history pieces.”
As Bush Tomio explained, visitors will still pass through the archway created by glass artist Tom Patti when they walk in the front door. The grand staircase leading to the Crane Room on the second floor will remain in place. The aquarium entrances will be from the north and south sides and not the present Little Cinema entrance, she said.
Patrons will find in the north first floor gallery a renovated minerals gallery, updated with new casework and displays, and the “Cabinet of Curiosities” first envisioned by museum founder Zenas Crane, allowing for more of the permanent collection to be displayed.
Patrons will find in the north first floor gallery a renovated minerals gallery, updated with new casework and displays, and the “Cabinet of Curiosities” first envisioned by museum founder Zenas Crane, allowing for more of the permanent collection to be displayed.
‘Immersed in Nature’
In the south gallery, where the Feigenbaum Hall of Innovation is located, a new “Immersed in Nature” exhibit — a transformation of the taxidermy collection currently displayed in the “Berkshire Backyard” gallery — will take place.
Natural specimens of all types are preserved and on display at the Berkshire Museum.
It will put the taxidermy animals in context with “elements of natural habitats with the diversity of wildlife alongside ecosystems, wall displays, projected landscapes, and dioramas.”
They’ll be presented along with paintings, sculptures, and other objects from the museum collection that make an interdisciplinary connection — for example, displaying art alongside the minerals that were used to make the paint.
Natural specimens of all types are preserved and on display at the Berkshire Museum.
“We hope it will spark imagination and encourage visitors of all ages to learn more,” Bush Tomio said.
The museum’s dioramas, “Animals of the World in Miniature,” familiar to museum-goers will also get a refresh. The Jonas Studio — whose founder, Louis Paul Jonas, created and installed the miniature animal sculptures in 1952 — will clean and refresh their painted landscapes and update their lighting.
The work was unanimously approved by the museum board of trustees in April.
The new design will also update the lobby and museum shop, and include a small cafe.
Design Architect Yo-ichiro Hakomori of StudioHAU, based in Los Angeles, and Bradley Architects Inc. of Pittsfield are the designers. David J. Tierney Jr. Inc. of Pittsfield will serve as construction manager at risk, and New York-based Skanska is project manager for development and construction.
The renovations are funded by the museum’s 2018 sale of 22 of its most valuable works of art in its collection, including a pair of Norman Rockwell paintings.
