Met Costume Institute Unveils Major Galleries Renovation by Peterson Rich

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has expanded the usable footprint of the Costume Institute by creating a new 12,000-square-foot home just off the Great Hall. This reshapes visitor circulation and makes fashion a centerpiece of the Met’s visitor route.

Designed by Peterson Rich Office, the renovation repurposes the former museum shop and relocates entrances for a more accessible flow. It introduces new galleries that place contemporary fashion alongside the museum’s historic holdings.

What the Renovation Achieves

The transformation expands usable space without increasing the museum’s footprint. Guests are welcomed into the new fashion galleries from the Fifth Avenue axis, with step-free access from 83rd Street.

With the Condé Nast galleries, couture becomes immediately visible from the grand staircase. A crafted foyer provides a ceremonial entry into fashion’s narrative.

Architectural Moves by Peterson Rich Office

Key design gestures emerged from rethinking circulation and the building’s edges. The former museum shop now connects the Great Hall, Fifth Avenue, and curatorial programs in a cohesive flow.

A foyer with massive wooden doors and an arched display case frames mannequins, engaging both gallerygoers and passersby. The larger gallery gains volume by removing a mezzanine.

False beams mask ducts, cabling, and lighting, keeping the space visually clean. The smaller room’s lower ceiling creates an intimate setting for close encounters with garments.

• The former shop is now a disciplined prelude to the galleries.
• Circulation is reoriented for accessible routes from exterior thresholds to interior display spaces.
• New galleries flank the Great Hall, reinforcing fashion’s prominence in the museum’s core route.
• Services are carefully concealed, preserving a refined interior language.

Gallery Experience and Spatial Psychology

The expanded program brings fashion installations to the forefront of the visitor journey. Visitors encounter large-format fashion narratives at the Grand Staircase, then enter more intimate spaces for closer viewing.

There is a dialogue between space, light, and clothing. The tall ceiling of the larger gallery allows for expansive displays, while the smaller gallery offers focused encounters with garments.

Exhibition Strategy and Representation

The exhibition Costume Art, designed by PRO, inaugurates the galleries by juxtaposing contemporary and historical clothing. The curatorial strategy uses the tall ceilings to layer imagery and mannequins, creating a dynamic display.

The show highlights bodily typologies—pregnant, disabled, corpulent, reclaimed, epidermal, abstract. This encourages visitors to consider identity, form, and materiality in relation to architectural space.

Architectural History and Layered Continuity

The new program sits within a building that reveals a palimpsest of its own history. There is a red-brick original wall, later facades, a 1970s concrete column, and a 1909 extension.

PRO’s interventions act as sutures that connect these layers together. They negotiate the museum’s evolving past while creating a smooth visitor experience that highlights major fashion exhibits within a refined architectural setting.

 
Here is the source article for this story: The Met Costume Institute Gets a Grand Upgrade