Frank Gehry has completed work on the first stage in the major renovation of Philadelphia's Museum of Art, over a decade after he was first enlisted to design the project.
The museum opened a number of new elements to the public including the North Entrance ? a street-level side entrance that was used when the museum opened in 1928 but had been closed off for 40 years ? a new espresso bar, bookstore and restored vaulted corridor.

Completed in September, the features form the first stage of Gehry's Core Project renovation of the Greek Revival museum building, which broke ground in 2017 and is expected to complete next fall.
The Core Project is the first phase of the wider Facilities Master Plan that Gehry was enlisted to design in 2006. Additional phases will be instigated depending on time and budget.
Speaking to Dezeen at the opening of the museum's new spaces, the 90-year-old architect said working on the lengthy masterplan, which has taken 13 years so far, has required great persistence.
"Sticking with this project, I should give myself an A for perseverance," Gehry told Dezeen.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art was designed by American architects Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele, and opened in March 1928.
Former museum director Annie d'Harnoncourt asked Gehry to develop a masterplan that would work within the existing footprint of the Beaux-Arts building, and open up spaces that were previously inaccessible or used differently over the years.

As part of th...