Scissor Staircase under construction. Photo credit: Craig Boyko, ©2008 Art Gallery of Ontario.
When the Art Gallery of Ontario reopens in 2008, visitors will experience more than 100 galleries showcasing spectacular collections of art. The Frank Gehry redesign will ensure that visitors are also dazzled by the extraordinary architecture as they navigate the transformed building.
From the elegant, serpentine ramp and information desk in George Weston Hall to the magnificent, light-filled Galleria Italia sculpture promenade, and on up the staircase that soars from Walker Court to the south tower, circulation routes in the new AGO promise to enrich people’s encounters with art.
Unique among the more prominent curvilinear features of the overall design, the bi-sectioned central staircase – or scissor staircase, as it is more commonly known – reflects the classicism of the AGO’s architectural roots while complementing the gallery spaces that surround it.
Clad in vertical-grain Douglas fir, a signature material in Frank Gehry’s architecture, the scissor staircase connects the past and present both physically and metaphorically with a delicate ribbon of wood that extends up from the concourse level to and along second-level walkways bordering Walker Court.
Each intersecting portion of the scissor staircase will be named for the generous donors whose gifts have made it such a significant feature of the new AGO.
Scissor Staircase under construction. Photo credit: Craig Boyko, ©2008 Art Gallery of Ontario.
Following the Light
Grand in scale without imposing on surrounding spaces, the scissor staircase will be immediately visible to guests as they pass through the Gallery’s Dundas Street entrance, the primary means of accessing the new AGO gallery spaces.
Because of its position directly beneath the glazed roof over Walker Court, the scissor staircase will be bathed in natural light.
“With all of the sunshine filtering down, it will be illuminated like a beacon,” says Mike Mahoney, senior project manager of construction for Transformation AGO. “Visitors will have no problem finding this central orienting feature of the new building.”
Taking the Stairs
The scissor staircase will provide easy access to the three levels in the north section of the building, while offering impressive views into Walker Court and the gallery spaces below.
Visitors who walk down one floor below street level will emerge in the magnificent new Thomson Ship Model Gallery, where display fixtures will echo the nautical themes of the space.
Heading north on the second level brings visitors into the hub space for the Canadian galleries. From here they will have access to African Art, the Henry Moore Sculpture Centre, Galleria Italia, and the Sam and Ayala Zacks Pavilion for special exhibitions.
Those who venture south along the walkway over Walker Court will have access to a sculptural staircase leading to the Baillie Court public event space and its panoramic views of the city, as well as to the outstanding collections of the new centre for contemporary art above.
ew and expanded art collections combined with the dramatic design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry will be huge draws for people who come to the AGO in 2008. As they explore their AGO and become acclimatized to the new home of their favourite artworks, they will also grow to appreciate the effort that has gone into facilitating and enhancing their exploration of the Gallery.
Some say that joy is in the journey and not the destination. At a transformed AGO, we are striving to make the journey and the destination equally enjoyable.
