The New Norton

Talk about a renovation.

The Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach has been transformed and expanded in a major way. The extension, designed by architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, is quite dramatic, and it’s also the largest in the museum’s 78-year history.

Among the striking changes was reorienting the main entrance to South Dixie Highway to restore the east-west axis created by the original architect, Marion Sims Wyeth.

They even added a new 59,000-square-foot west wing that will allow for a 35 percent increase in gallery space and a sculpture garden that features 20th and 21st century sculptures, several smaller gardens, and places to sit and reflect. 

“The building and accompanying lush sculpture garden enable the Norton to exhibit more art, present more programs and provide a growing, but culturally underserved community with a breathtaking, brighter, more welcoming, up-to-date center for the public to engage with – and enjoy – art and culture,” according to the Norton’s website.

Other must-sees: a 210-seat auditorium, an elegant new restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, a great hall that serves as the museum’s “living room” and an artist-in-residence program in restored historic houses on the southern edge of the museum campus.  

“The new Norton redefines the museum’s relationship with the city by means of a dynamic new West Wing,” says Foster, according to a press release. “The design celebrates the local landscape and architecture, taking advantage of the museum’s excellent location in the heart of West Palm Beach and transforming the landscape to create a museum within a garden.”

Admission is free on Fridays and Saturdays – so you have no excuse not to check out the revamped venue.

Visit norton.org.