West Palm’s Norton Museum set to break ground on expansion

A rendering of the revised Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach
A rendering of the revised Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach

Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach is about to undergo its $60 million transformation, complete with the building of venue spaces and a new foyer.

The expansion’s groundbreaking date is set for Saturday, just in time for the museum’s 75th anniversary. Plans include the addition of several new event areas, 12,000 square feet of art space — equating to a 35 percent increase from the museum’s current space — and a 43-foot-tall “great hall” that will serve as the museum’s new central lounge.

Norton’s entrance, currently facing south, will also be moved to face west on South Dixie Highway. Its existing parking lot will be covered with 20,000 square feet of lawns and plants, split between a sculpture garden, a 9,000-square-foot lawn for outdoor events and a shade garden.

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Six historic museum-owned homes will also be renovated as part of the expansion. Two have already had makeovers and were connected, now acting as the home for the museum’s director. The other four will house visiting artists.

Foster + Partners, which also worked on Miami Beach’s Faena House, is handling design work for the Norton Museum’s expansion, It’s expected to be completed in 2018. — Sean Stewart-Muniz