The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Peterson Rich Office is actively working on The Met’s new special exhibition gallery while re-envisioning the Museum’s dining and retail spaces, along with its street-level entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue.
Currently under construction, the project is a major institutional initiative that will comprise several components, including the conversion of the current Met Store (adjacent to the Great Hall) into a new 11,500-square-foot gallery that will display The Costume Institute’s annual spring show, and, at times, other shows from other curatorial departments. The project will also encompass the activation of the Museum’s entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue to allow for easier public access into the Museum, and the reconfiguration of the spaces within The Met for dining, retail, and The Met Store.
Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Peterson Rich Office on this complex and transformative project, which will allow us to present more art and exhibitions and to better meet the needs of Met visitors, especially in a space so central to the museum. The ways in which visitors and local communities interact with cultural institutions have changed dramatically over the past few years, and this project presents an opportunity for us to invest even more in the visitor experience and create new ways for all communities to enjoy the Museum—both during and outside our regular hours.”
About the Project
The initiative will take several years and is divided broadly into two phases: construction of the new exhibition gallery on the first floor, followed by the renovation of the Plaza entrance and reconfiguring of dining and retail spaces on the lower level. The new gallery is scheduled to be completed by 2026, with the remaining components to follow. Dining and Retail areas may be impacted or relocated during the project, however no job layoffs are expected in this department.
Fundraising for this project is already in progress, with Met Trustee Anna Wintour taking a leadership role in helping the Museum secure support for this initiative. The budget is still in development and is expected to require not one but multiple generous gifts.
In November 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition, Costume Art, which will examine the centrality of the dressed body, juxtaposing objects from across the Museum’s vast collection with historical and contemporary garments from The Costume Institute. The exhibition will inaugurate major new Galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, which will display The Costume Institute’s annual spring exhibition. In recognition of a significant lead gift from Condé Nast, the nearly 12,000-square-foot space will be designated the Condé M. Nast Galleries. Additional generous contributions toward the renovation are provided by Thom Browne, and Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere. Further support is provided by Met Trustee Aerin Lauder, Tory Burch LLC, Nancy C. and Richard R. Rogers, as well as Met Trustee Amy Griffin and John Griffin.
About The Costume Institute
The Costume Institute's collection comprises 33,000 objects representing seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the 15th century to the present. It began as the Museum of Costume Art, an independent entity formed in 1937. In 1946, it merged with The Metropolitan Museum of Art as The Costume Institute and became a curatorial department in1959. In January 2009, the Brooklyn Museum transferred its renowned costume collection to The Met, where it is known as the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The combined collections now constitute the largest and most comprehensive costume collection in the world. In May 2014, The Costume Institute reopened as the Anna Wintour Costume Center, comprising the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery and the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery, a state-of-the-art costume conservation laboratory, a study/storage facility, and The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, one of the world's foremost fashion libraries.
Peterson Rich Office is actively working on The Met’s new special exhibition gallery while re-envisioning the Museum’s dining and retail spaces, along with its street-level entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue.
Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Peterson Rich Office on this complex and transformative project, which will allow us to present more art and exhibitions and to better meet the needs of Met visitors, especially in a space so central to the museum. The ways in which visitors and local communities interact with cultural institutions have changed dramatically over the past few years, and this project presents an opportunity for us to invest even more in the visitor experience and create new ways for all communities to enjoy the Museum—both during and outside our regular hours.”
About the Project
The initiative will take several years and is divided broadly into two phases: construction of the new exhibition gallery on the first floor, followed by the renovation of the Plaza entrance and reconfiguring of dining and retail spaces on the lower level. The new gallery is scheduled to be completed by 2026, with the remaining components to follow. Dining and Retail areas may be impacted or relocated during the project, however no job layoffs are expected in this department.
Fundraising for this project is already in progress, with Met Trustee Anna Wintour taking a leadership role in helping the Museum secure support for this initiative. The budget is still in development and is expected to require not one but multiple generous gifts.
In November 2025, The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition, Costume Art, which will examine the centrality of the dressed body, juxtaposing objects from across the Museum’s vast collection with historical and contemporary garments from The Costume Institute. The exhibition will inaugurate major new Galleries adjacent to the Great Hall, which will display The Costume Institute’s annual spring exhibition. In recognition of a significant lead gift from Condé Nast, the nearly 12,000-square-foot space will be designated the Condé M. Nast Galleries. Additional generous contributions toward the renovation are provided by Thom Browne, and Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere. Further support is provided by Met Trustee Aerin Lauder, Tory Burch LLC, Nancy C. and Richard R. Rogers, as well as Met Trustee Amy Griffin and John Griffin.
About The Costume Institute
The Costume Institute's collection comprises 33,000 objects representing seven centuries of fashionable dress and accessories for men, women, and children, from the 15th century to the present. It began as the Museum of Costume Art, an independent entity formed in 1937. In 1946, it merged with The Metropolitan Museum of Art as The Costume Institute and became a curatorial department in1959. In January 2009, the Brooklyn Museum transferred its renowned costume collection to The Met, where it is known as the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The combined collections now constitute the largest and most comprehensive costume collection in the world. In May 2014, The Costume Institute reopened as the Anna Wintour Costume Center, comprising the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery and the Carl and Iris Barrel Apfel Gallery, a state-of-the-art costume conservation laboratory, a study/storage facility, and The Irene Lewisohn Costume Reference Library, one of the world's foremost fashion libraries.
Miriam Peterson
Nathan Rich
Jahaan Scipio
Alek Tomich
Andrea Sandell
