Gehry expansion starts at Philadelphia Art Museum

[November 09, 2010]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A groundbreaking at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is marking the start of construction of a large underground expansion designed by architect Frank Gehry.

About 80,000 square feet of public space, plus secure loading areas for moving artworks, will be completed in three phases under a 10-year master plan beginning Tuesday. The expansion requires excavation to remove bedrock beneath the museum's foundation and its famous steps.

Gehry is known for his dramatic sculptural buildings with swirling shapes, such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

The expansion is happening 30 feet underground, so it won't change the iconic neoclassical museum's appearance on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

[Associated Press]

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