Inspired by Past, Florence Griswold Museum Looks to Future

OLD LYME, CT – Supporters of the Florence Griswold Museum on Thursday picked up ceremonial shovels for the groundbreaking of a $6.1 million renovation and expansion project designed to connect the home of American Impressionism with the landscape that inspired it. 

Funded by donors to the museum’s Inspiration Lives Here campaign, the project includes a 2,740-square-foot addition and renovations to the existing 6,210-square-foot Krieble Gallery. Construction is scheduled to begin this month, with completion expected in fall 2027.

Executive Director Peter Steere said the project – which is intended to update the existing galleries, create adaptable spaces for exhibitions and education and expand research space – will offer more reasons to visit the museum.

“This expansion brings new ways to inspire,” he said. 

The project will add new, smaller-scale galleries with windows overlooking the Lieutenant River, along with flexible exhibition and program spaces and a dedicated study and research center. It will also add two accessible restrooms serving Café Flo.

The project is led by Boston-based Oudens Ello Architecture and North Haven-based Petra Construction Corp.

The museum’s broader expansion plan was estimated last year at $17.8 million. Spokeswoman Tammi Flynn said the museum is moving forward with the components that “best enhance the visitor experience” while continuing to raise money for future work.

Conrad Ello, principal of Oudens Ello Architecture, said the design was created to integrate the gallery into an “immersive museum experience” spanning the 12-acre campus.

He cited the Florence Griswold House, its lush gardens and the Lieutenant River as sources of inspiration.

“New, intimately scaled galleries will be punctuated by windows overlooking the river, offering moments of reflection and bringing the artwork into direct conversation with the landscape that inspired it,” he said. 

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Martha Shoemaker emphasized the museum’s enduring place at the center of the town’s cultural identity. 

“When Miss Florence first opened the doors to the Lyme Art colony over a century ago, she created a space where the unique light, the verdant landscape and the bend of the Lieutenant River ignited a legendary creative energy,” she said. 

It’s a source of civic pride and economic vitality, according to Shoemaker. She said a modernized campus will benefit local shops, restaurants and other small businesses by attracting new and returning visitors. 

“The expansion and renovation of the Krieble Gallery isn’t just about brick and mortar and new skylights,” she said. “It’s about keeping our town’s cultural crown jewel forward-looking, open and accessible to all.”

The Krieble Gallery will be the only part of the museum closed during construction. The Florence Griswold House, Rafal Landscape Center, Hartman Education Center, Chadwick Studio, museum grounds, gardens and Robert F. Schumann Artists’ Trail will remain open. Cultural events, educational programs, group tours and field trips will continue.

The museum’s gift shop will temporarily relocate to the Huntley-Brown House across from the gallery. 

Holiday Magic, scheduled for Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, and Holiday Teas, running Dec. 1 through Jan. 3, will proceed as planned. The museum is closed through Nov. 26 to prepare for the annual holiday celebration.

Beginning Nov. 27, admission will be discounted during construction to $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for students and free for children 12 and younger.

“We’re still here, and we can’t wait to show you what this place will look like in September,” Steere said.