Peterson Rich Office unveils Condé Nast Galleries at the Met

Brooklyn-based architecture studio Peterson Rich Office (PRO) has completed the design of five new gallery spaces at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, collectively named the Condé Nast Galleries. The project encompasses 12,000 square feet (1,114 square meters) of gallery and auxiliary rooms, built on the site of a historic courtyard between Richard Morris Hunt's original Great Hall and 19th-century buildings by Arthur Lyman Tuckerman and Calvert Vaux. PRO peeled back plaster to reveal historic facades, turning former exteriors into interior walls and creating transitional spaces that highlight the museum's layered architectural history. The galleries include the Orientation Gallery with 19-foot-tall limestone openings and grey marmorino plaster, the High Gallery with 21-foot ceilings and indirect lighting, the Low Gallery with a more intimate setting, and the Finale Gallery where exposed brickwork and pilasters contrast with contemporary finishes. A small shop supports rotating exhibitions. The inaugural exhibition, Costume Art, features clothing and depictions of nudity across eras, exploring the social meaning of attire, timed to coincide with the annual Met Gala. PRO co-founders Miriam Peterson and Nathan Rich emphasized a design approach that layers spaces while maintaining coherence, creating a dialogue between past and present. The photography is by Nicholas Calcott.