With its idyllic setting facing the Saint John River opposite the Provincial Legislature, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery has been a distinguished presence in Fredericton from the moment its doors opened in 1959. The building?s clean, symmetrical form and simple lines presented a midcentury masterpiece in a city better known for Loyalist and Victorian structures.
Since that inauguration, the gallery has episodically transformed itself by responding to expanding audiences, growing collections, and benefactors. Three additions between 1983 and 2010 have more than doubled the area of the original public spaces. But its newly completed expansion is its boldest and most ambitious transformation yet. As a longtime resident of Fredericton and an adjunct curator at the Beaverbrook since 2008, I have seen many of these changes first hand, and I have long admired how such an institution can contribute to the city through its architecture. That said, the gallery has over most of its life presented a somewhat formal and opaque presence, which has hampered its connection to pedestrians and to the waterfront?until now. The addition and adjacent outdoor plaza open up the Saint John River?the region?s dominant natural feature, which bisects the city?to the gallery visitors as well as to downtown Fredericton.
Led by Halifax-based Mackay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, the expansion propelled the institution into the 21st century. New features include lofty new galleries, a bright café, visiting-a...