New wing in the works for Art Institute

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony at the end of the month for a large addition to the Art Institute of Chicago.

I haven't seen much of the plans, but here is what I know... The addition is to be erected at the corner of Columbus and Monroe. Presently, there is an entrance to the museum facing this corner, to which you can drive up -- I think it is accessible to people with disabilities. Passers-by on foot can see the Louis Sullivan Arch, also known as the Chicago Stock Exchange Arch, standing in a small garden at the corner. I don't know what will happen to the arch, or how easternmost portion of the museum will be reconfigured to accommodate the new wing.

The new addition is a contemporary glass/stone/steel design by architect Renzo Piano. The modern appearance should match the style of the existing structures on the Columbus Drive side of the complex, and I think it should be far enough away from the neoclassical Michigan Avenue side that it won't be too jarring. From what I have seen, it looks like it will have 3 stories above ground level, and there will be a pedestrian bridge across Monroe connecting Millennium Park to a top-floor museum entrance. The project won't be completed until 2009.

I wasn't paying much attention to all of this until I visited the museum this past week. Entering at Michigan Avenue, I walked straight back, through the exhibit of medieval armor, to Marc Chagall's America Windows. Except... there were no windows. For a second I felt disoriented. The Chagall piece had been there for as long as I can remember; had I taken a wrong turn? No... It has been taken down temporarily to protect the glass from vibrations during construction. I just hope they'll put it back up before 2009.