Designed to accommodate a specific collection of paintings and drawings rooted in narratives of historic and modern California, from landscapes to animation, a defining feature of the future Hilbert is the site-specific integration of a 16-foot by 40-foot mosaic tile mural by the artist and architect Millard Sheets. The mural, set at a similar height and orientation to its original installation, hovers over the entry to the courtyard, which is adjacent to the sidewalk streetscape and is visible from the Metro. This 3500-sf courtyard is the focal point and organizing nexus of the new and expanded museum: a flexible campus and community space, it serves as an outdoor room while it provides access to the two museum buildings and its public amenities, including dual entry foyers, café, a multipurpose room, and interior galleries.

Four urban markers, a series of floating volumes at the corners and edges of the museum buildings, establish visibility from the University campus, historic Old Towne Orange, and the adjacent Metro station. Reminiscent of the historic billboards that punctuate Southern Californian cityscapes and buildings, these urban markers signal the museum’s presence and project the building as a canvas with armatures for sculpture and museum signage.

Two of these floating volumes dually serve as light chimneys, bringing reflected light into the galleries through outdoor courts visible from the gallery interior. Daylighting enters the galleries from perimeter windows, lending an intimate, domestic quality to the visitor experience and orienting visitors as they proceed through the museum.

The Hilbert Museum of California Art is located at the Southwest corner of the Chapman University campus in Orange, California. The museum links the University with historic Old Towne Orange and the neighboring commuter rail station flanking the industrial corridor at the edge of campus. The design includes the renovation of the existing museum, itself an adaptive reuse of an old warehouse, with an adjacent industrial building previously used as a dance studio, uniting the two structures through the addition of a new open-air courtyard.

Johnston Marklee

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Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University

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Client

Chapman University

Location

Orange, CA, US

Years

2020-2024

Site Area

37,489 SF

Floor Area

21,287 GSF

Partners

Sharon Johnston, Mark Lee

Project Team

Lindsay Erickson (Project Lead), Miaojie Ted Zhang, Nicholas Hofstede

CDG Builders

Eric Staudenmaier