Los Angeles-based architecture studio MILLIØNS, led by Zeina Koreitem and John May, has redesigned the east wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York.
Completed in 1968, Everson was the first museum designed by the late Chinese-American architect IM Pei. The renovation pays tribute to Pei’s brutalist masterpiece – particularly the way the structure creates intense contrasts between darkness and light.
This is particularly the case in the east wing, which is mostly underground and where daylight creates a chiaroscuro effect. MILLIØNS compensates for this by using materials and surfaces that multiply the reflection and refraction of natural light.
The concrete facade was cleaned to reveal a subtle pink hue, inspiring a design approach that incorporates this hue throughout the interior.
The new café of the Everson Museum
The renovation will also see the opening of the museum’s café, Louise. The dining concept from Drēmer Restaurant Group is named after Louise Rosenfield, a Dallas-based potter and Everson trustee who donated her collection of more than 4,000 utilitarian ceramics to be not only displayed but also enjoyed by museum visitors.
A series of two-story glass towers houses the Rosenfield collection, as well as open shelves that allow cafe patrons to reach in and pick out any ceramic object they wish to eat or drink from, blurring the line between art and public.
Guests can also scan the ceramic pieces with their phones to discover the stories and artists behind each piece.
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