The Amon Carter Museum of American Art first engaged Schwartz/Silver to replace and expand the museum’s photography cool/cold storage vaults, and then to design a complete renovation of the museum galleries.

Philip Johnson designed the Amon Carter in 1961 on a hillside overlooking downtown Fort Worth, and twice renovated and expanded it himself. Schwartz/Silver’s interior renovations are sensitive to Johnson’s vision while accommodating the museum’s plans to display its collections thematically rather than chronologically.

Gallery carpet flooring was removed and replaced with American white oak, and the original dark ceiling is now a soft white. Permanent collections galleries have coffered ceilings that hint at Johnson’s original intention to include skylights.  They are composed of fabric and LED laylights designed to evenly illuminate the galleries and enhance their acoustics. The spaces were reconfigured to allow for a continuous exploration through different eras of American art. New mobile, modular gallery walls are highly adaptive, allowing the museum flexibility to expand and contract spaces and accommodate new and changing exhibits.

As part of the project, Schwartz/Silver also designed the Gentling Study Center at the Amon Carter to provide scholars and the public with dedicated research and study space. The Study Center echoes the adjacent library study room design, with teak wall paneling and midcentury furniture.

Collaborators

Owner’s Project Manager: The Projects Group
Construction Manager: Spawglass, Inc.
Structural Engineer: FWN & A Structural Engineering
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineer: Collaborative Engineering Group
Acoustical Consultant: Wrightson/Johnson/Haddon/Williams, Inc.
Lighting Designer: George Sexton Associates
Photographer: Amon Carter Museum of American Art