posted March 26, 2005
A crew of 200 construction workers are racing toward an April 23 grand reopening for the Hunter Museum of American Art.
The special event will be just one of the parties planned for the unveiling of the $120 million 21st Century Waterfront.
The new saltwater section of the Tennessee Aquarium has its debut April 29.
Also to be opened soon will be a new pedestrian bridge to the Hunter Museum, the new Passage to the river under Riverfront Parkway, sculpture along the new First Street Steps, the new Chattanooga Pier featuring tall light towers, and the new boat and play area at Ross's Landing.
There will be several new ways to easily reach the Hunter Museum, which has long been isolated with only one difficult-to-find access point at Bluff View.
The First Street Steps will lead to the musuem from the Aquarium, and there will also be the new pedestrian bridge by the Walnut Street Bridge.
The Hunter Museum will have a dramatic new west wing. The Hunter mansion is being completely restored, and there are also extensive changes at the museum's original annex.
A new underground storage area will have enough space to hold the museum's entire collection for the next 50 years.
All the museum offices will be together under the new arrangement.
The new west wing features a lobby with dramatic views of the Tennessee River below.
There will be space for rent for weddings, receptions and other special events.
The west wing will have a museum store as well as a cafe operated by the Bluff View Art District staff.
At night, the mansion will be brightly lit while the side sections of the museum will go dark.
The public will have much greater access to the museum than before - with the new sculpture garden in front and the balcony overlooking the river open 24/7. The sculpture garden will not be in place until sometime in May.
Ellen Hays, museum director of external affairs, said the museum will have new programming to appeal to different segments of the community.
She said it will be "a whole new museum that will give a unique look at three centuries of American art."
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