Renovation

The iconic Italian Renaissance Calderwood Courtyard, with its arcades of travertine marble, was modeled on the façade of the 15th-century Canon's House of the Church of San Biagio in Montepulciano, Italy. Architects Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott replicated the Canon's House façade to form an interior square suggesting the central court of a Tuscan palazzo. The Calderwood Courtyard has been the scene of many openings, balls, dinners, and other celebrations.

The renovation and expansion project designed by Renzo Piano preserves both the design of the historic courtyard and its function as the center of activity and circulation. Great care has been taken to maintain the condition of the travertine façades. The design opens up all of the courtyard's ground-floor arcades, allowing visitors to move freely through the new facility, from galleries in the original Fogg Museum structure to the Busch-Reisinger and Sackler galleries in the new addition.

“The courtyard is really the emotional and symbolic heart of the museum. And with the new glass structure above, it will become what Renzo calls ‘the light machine,’ with controlled natural light funneling through it and diffusing through the adjoining spaces.” —Thomas W. Lentz, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director