The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) today announced plans to begin work on the Helga and Mike Schmidt Performance Terrace and the Reed Family Plaza. This initiative is part of the Museum?s Welcome Project, established to provide greater access to the Museum and enhance the ROM?s role as a vital civic hub for the city and its visitors. Slated for completion in early 2019, the project will create a vibrant streetscape and outdoor gathering space beside the Museum?s Bloor Street entrance. Encompassing nearly 5,500 square feet of exterior space, the initiative was made possible by lead donors Helga Schmidt, and Nita and Don Reed.
Arial view of the new Bloor Street plaza. Image via Hariri Pontarini Architects.
In December, the ROM completed the first stage of the Welcome Project with renovations to the Museum?s landmark Queens Park façade and the re-opening of the Weston entrance doors. ?Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are now taking another important step in our revitalization plans by animating the space around the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal on Bloor Street,? said Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. ?The addition of the Helga and Mike Schmidt Performance Terrace, and the Reed Family Plaza will create a seamless link between the Museum and Bloor Street and serve as a welcoming space that brings people together in the heart of the city.? Designed by Toronto architect Siamak Hariri of Hariri Pontarini Architects, the project will be anchored by landscaping and an outdoor...