The Frances M. Maguire Hall Project

Frances M. Maguire Hall Project Update

The creation of Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education is the most significant event in the history of Woodmere since it opened its doors to the public in 1910. Woodmere thanks the members of the Maguire Family and a community of generous supporters and neighbors who made the institution's growth possible. As we work to transform the nineteenth-century residence into a twenty-first-century museum, we are thrilled to be working with a top-tier team of professionals, including Matthew Baird Architects, Krieger + Associates Architects, Andropogon Landscape Architects, Sullivan Construction, and Aegis Property Group.

The Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education is taking shape, with interior spaces that were formerly parlors and bedrooms transformed into galleries designed to showcase the strengths of Woodmere’s collection. The grounds are being enhanced with sculpture, 150 new trees, and a fountain at the building’s entrance. You can practically hear the joyful energy of children rushing to explore the Love Kids Art Studio.

Woodmere is on track to receive our Certificate of Occupancy early this summer, and soon after, we will begin installing art. Get ready for an exciting calendar of events to celebrate the grand opening in the fall and we look forward to sharing this momentous occasion with you. Woodmere hopes to inspire all its visitors.

About the Project

In 2021, Woodmere acquired the mansion and its four acres, formerly known as Saint Michael’s Hall, from the Sisters of Saint Joseph. It had been a residence for the Sisters for almost one hundred years. The Maguire Foundation made a generous lead gift of $10 million to rename the building Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education in honor of Frannie Maguire (1938 - 2020), a long-serving trustee of Woodmere who was an artist and philanthropist. Many generous contributions from a broad community of donors also supported the renovation. In addition to fourteen galleries for Woodmere’s permanent collection, the renovation includes a hands-on children’s art and education studio and several new public spaces for public events and programs.

The galleries in Frances M. Maguire Hall will showcase the collection’s dedication to the inclusive dialogue of contemporary art in Philadelphia. Strengths in 20th-century art will also be presented, including the specific configurations of American Impressionism, figurative arts, and modernism that are particular to Philadelphia. Three galleries will tell the stories of Philadelphia’s jewelry arts, and the top floor of Maguire Hall will house a study center and gallery for works on paper. The expansion enables Woodmere to exhibit masterpieces held in storage, including important works by Violet Oakley and the Red Rose Girls, Arthur B. Carles and his circle, and many others. Woodmere’s significant collections of 19^th-century landscapes and its founder’s collection, along with special exhibitions and the Museum Store, will continue to be housed in Woodmere’s Charles Knox Smith Hall.