Overview
- The city’s Permit Review Committee and state preservation officials have endorsed the museum’s north portico plan, but the Chicago Park District has not given final construction approval.
- The Park District told Griffin MSI to return with final construction documents and to obtain an access permit so contractors can work without harming Jackson Park assets.
- The proposed Welcome Hall is a two-story limestone-and-glass pavilion about 458 feet wide with a 124-foot glass connector that would cut through the north stairs, and critics say it would overpower the historic entrance.
- RAMSA, the successor firm to Robert A.M. Stern, designed the proposal and the museum says the hall would improve accessibility and create a free public entry space, though the project has no construction timeline for the north side.
- Separately, the museum plans a $22 million restoration to reopen its long-closed south entrance, with work expected to start this winter and finish in 2027, while debate continues over how to balance new access with preservation of the 1893 Palace of Fine Arts landmark.