The UMMA Story

The Building Project

On March 28, 2009, after nearly three years of restoration and expansion work, the University of Michigan Museum (UMMA) reopens. Its square footage has more than doubled with the addition of the 53,000 square-foot Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing, and much of the original architectural detail of Alumni Memorial Hall has been restored. Allied Works Architecture, of Portand, Oregon, and New York City, architects of the award-winning project, also designed the display furniture throughout the original building and the new addition.

The expansion has enabled the Museum to displays more than three times the amount of art from the its collections, which span the Western tradition from medieval times to the present as well as deep holdings in African and Asian art. The addition of classrooms, an auditorium, and a variety of gathering spaces contribute to making UMMA a vital town square for the arts at the heart of a major research university.