The evolution of the LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) at the Shaw Center for the Arts is an unprecedented community collaboration and visionary architectural partnership culminating in a design that marries the rich history of downtown Baton Rouge with a futuristic vision. The building was designed by Schwartz/Silver Architects, Boston, working with New Orleans-based Eskew + Dumez + Ripple as executive architects in association with Jerry M. Campbell & Associates architects, Baton Rouge.
Lantern on the Levee
Schwartz/Silver Architects used principles of interconnectivity to incorporate the landmark, historic Auto Hotel with a contemporary structure. Dating to the 1930s, the Auto Hotel was Baton Rouge's first parking garage. The LSU MOA fifth-floor galleries create a sparkling cantilever resting lightly above the brick Auto Hotel's roof. The structure appears to float weightlessly almost a hundred feet above the ground.
The Shaw Center for the Arts is clad in hundreds of multi-length sections of translucent channel glass. It is the first building in the United States to be completely clad in U-shaped cast glass channels, made in Germany and suspended eight inches from the building's wall system. Aesthetically, this crystalline envelope evokes a "glass barge" meandering along the adjacent Mississippi River. It shimmers by day; by night it becomes a glowing lantern on the levee.
Panoramic River Views
The Shaw Center for the Arts offers visitors endless panoramic views of the levee, the river, the bridge, and beyond. The inspiration provided by the Mississippi River is everywhere. A panoramic window welcomes visitors to the LSU MOA galleries. Two outdoor terraces on the fourth and sixth floors are used for gatherings, events, and festivals. The landscaping of the center's plaza welcomes visitors with spectacular, interactive fountains and lush vegetation. A public plaza surrounds the center, bordering Lafayette Park and connecting the Shaw Center to the Mississippi River levee banks.
Location
The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is located in the Shaw Center for
the Arts between North Boulevard and Convention Street and Third and
Lafayette Streets. Visitors access the building through Third Street
and Lafayette Street entrances. Capital AreaTransit Service (CATS)
offers shuttle service to the Shaw Centter from LSU.
The building incorporates historical and contemporary architecture by interweaving the new structure between and on top of a classic building. The architects cantilevered the new LSU MOA's fifth-floor galleries over the top level of the old Auto Hotel, Baton Rouge's first indoor parking garage. The museum's administrative offices are located on the third floor of the renovated Auto Hotel. |
