$270 Million ROM Expansion Years In The Making Gets Official Unveiling
Posted June 1, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s been years in the planning and almost as long in the construction. But at last the face of the downtown core is about to change again with the official unveiling of an incredible piece of architecture. It seems only appropriate it should come from a place where works of art are lionized – the Royal Ontario Museum. The ROM’s Crystal addition was designed by internationally known architect Daniel Libeskind, the man behind some of the most famous buildings in the world – including the replacement for the World Trade Center in New York.
The museum structure certainly had humble beginnings – it was originally sketched on a napkin during a wedding. It took six long years to change that napkin into a reality. It’s a marvel of design that many thought was impossible – the entire site is made up of “five interlocking self-supporting prismatic entities”, according to officials, that don’t actually touch the original building itself. The two entities are joined by a bridge.
The palace got a big head start – benefactor Michael Lee-Chin donated an astonishing $30 million towards getting it made. It will be the largest such gallery in Canada, and will contain restaurants and stores.
A huge opening night gala on Friday will be followed by an even bigger concert on Saturday. A section of Bloor St. West will be closed to accommodate the event.
Meanwhile, officials are frantically putting the last minute touches on all the nooks and crannies. And while they want you to come and see it, they’re keeping one fact about the site to themselves. “There’s only one vertical wall in the building and I’ll keep it a secret,” laughs the ROM’s Francisco Alvarez.
The structure is a testament to intricate and painstaking work. A technician spent two years working on mounting a single case. And there are even exhibits in the stairway. Officials hope the unusual looking place becomes as recognized around the world as the CN Tower.
City residents who have been walking by the construction site for more than half a decade are finally getting a look at what’s been behind all that toil. Their verdict? “It’s fabulous,” assesses one. “It’s very exciting and a great addition.”
“It’s strange to blend the two,” concludes another. “And I think it’s astounding for Canada to have done it.”
So when can you see it from the inside? The first gallery, holding the ever popular dinosaur exhibit, is expected to be up and running by Christmas. The other will be ready for the public by the spring of 2008.
Photo courtesy: Royal Ontario Museum
