An article in TorontoToday about the Crystal renovation, with a couple pics.
The article mentions the pics are Alex Bozikovic's, from a post of his on X (Twitter).
TorontoToday - Rom Crystal
Royal Ontario Museum begins partial demolition of its Crystal
The Royal Ontario Museum’s controversial Crystal is undergoing construction as part of a project that will make ground floor exhibits free
TorontoToday Staff
If you walk by the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) today, you’ll notice one of the building’s most prominent features, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is under construction.
The ROM’s Crystal — designed by Daniel Libeskind — as well as much of the museum, is being renovated as part of the
OpenROM project. Announced in February, the construction work will transform the museum’s main area and Bloor Street entrance, expand gallery space and allow for guests to tour the ground floor for free.
On Thursday, the Globe and Mail’s architecture critic Alex Bozikovic shared images of the Crystal being
partially demolished to the social media platform X. A construction crew can be seen standing alongside a cherry picker in front of the empty panes where the Crystal’s glass was once featured.
The ROM’s Crystal remains polarizing, with staunch views both for and against its design.
Built in 2007, the Crystal is inspired by the museum’s gem and mineral collection.
Though fans of the Crystal have praised its aesthetic design and ability to beautifully reflect the sunshine on Bloor Street, its critics feel the structure is ineffective.
Since it was constructed, some Torontonians have been vocal about the design being
disorienting from inside the museum. With its slanted windows, some museum goers have lamented the Crystal making nearby artwork difficult to display — or even leading to headaches.
Construction on the ROM began in February and is expected to last three years, finishing in 2027.
As well as building on Crystal, the OpenROM project will see “an expansive bronze canopy” installed over the museum's Bloor Street entrance.
Construction plans include a year-round water feature at the corner of Bloor Street and Queen’s Park and 6,000 square feet of new gallery space on the second and third levels, among other changes.
The OpenROM project costs $130 million, the museum said, and much of the renovation has been paid for by the Hennick Family Foundation. The foundation donated $50 million to the museum, the largest cash donation in the ROM’s history.
The money will help fund the building of the Hennick Commons, which the ROM described as “the new heart” of the museum. Its design will feature “a soaring, sunlit four-storey atrium capped with a sweeping, high-performance diagrid glass ceiling.”
The ROM will remain open during construction.
