Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
When complete, the Renaissance Royal Ontario Museum will look like this.
THE ROYAL Ontario Museum (ROM) is among Canada's national treasures, but most importantly, it is that country's museum to the world. Children who visit, see it as a place of wonder, discovery and inspiration, and adults get an up-close perspective on the cultures of the world.
The ROM was built in 1914 and expanded in 1932. The addition of the new Michael Lee Chin Crystal galleries will make it the only building in North America with that type of open design and it will do for Canada what the Sydney Opera House has done for Australia.
David Palmer, president and executive director of the Royal Ontario Museum Governors told Lifestyle in an exclusive interview and tour of the construction site last Tuesday, that the new design will be a metaphor of crystal shapes. "Each new window will be based on fibre-optic shapes of the light on them. The eight new galleries will house permanent collections of natural history on the second floor; world cultures on the third floor; the continents on the fourth floor and contemporary cultures on the fifth floor," Mr. Palmer said.
The Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court will command a panoramic view of all floors and boast a family dining area. It will be a beautiful four-storey crystal atrium inside the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal and was named in honour of his mother on April 2, 2003.
During Lifestyle's visit at the ROM, what stood out was the impressive permanent exhibits of treasures and artefacts from the Far East, including China and Japan. Each exhibit was carefully remounted in a setting conducive to an almost 360 degree viewing. Whether it was furniture from the 10th Century AD when the Chinese first adopted the habit of sitting on chairs; or the intricately hand constructed reproduction of a Ming Temple, it is all on show for generations to come.
BLEND OF OLD AND NEW
The architect's drawings for the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal show a stark contrast of a blend of old and new architectural styles. This was deliberately done by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. The new wing touches but does not tarnish or demolish the old structure, and where necessary, windows from the existing structure will be converted to walkways between both sections - thus preserving its integrity. Huge arched openings between the old and new sections will allow visitors to move freely from one area to the next.
The old structure is all bricks and stone and the new will be predominantly glass. At the moment, the huge skeletal steel frame juts out onto Bloor Street five storeys above ground from that height, visitors will get a panoramic view of the city of Toronto. Canadians are proud of the fact that all the steel being used in the construction is made at mills located in Hamilton. The galleries will be covered in a luminous skin of aluminium and glass.
Mr. Palmer told Lifestyle that the project has been embraced by the city of Toronto and everyone is happy that Lee Chin was the first to make the sizeable donation. "The museum will encompass all of human civilisation and it will be located in the most culturally diverse city in the world," he said.
The entire project cost CDN$244m.
WARM AND ELEGANT
On a school day, hundreds of students pass through the historic and magnificently restored Rotunda to the tall windows of the ROM's Philosopher's Walk. The section is warm and elegant, boasting a ceiling that has been totally covered with images befitting the periods they represent.
Further into the exhibit rooms, established and budding artists sit in studious concentration as they attempt to recreate the works on show.
All this while just a few partitions away construction is moving at a feverish pace around the clock to meet the projected December 2006 completion date and the official opening next May.
But with the first 10 galleries of the Renaissance ROM now open, the museum has once again begun to capture the imagination of Canadians. Thousands have already viewed the exhibits in the revitalised spaces. The museum is now embarking on its second phase which is the completion of the Michael Lee Chin Crystal.
The new Crystal galleries and restored grand heritage halls will:
Preserve Canada's unique collections of world cultures and natural history
Facilitate international research conducted by curators
Develop unique exhibitions and public programmes
Expand educational programmes for students and communities
Care and upkeep the new galleries and facilities.
