Over the past decade, the Museum’s collection, programs, and global impact have grown significantly. As a result, the Museum’s facilities have been increasingly taxed to provide the appropriate space and services necessary to meet the demands of these initiatives and future goals.

See the Site Plan

Architect Thomas Phifer was asked to re-imagine the site of the former Steuben Glass building as a new North Wing of the Museum, to address two key issues:

• Expanded gallery space to showcase more of the Museum’s contemporary works in glass, which continue to grow larger in scale. Currently, the Museum is unable to show a portion of its contemporary collection because of space constraints.


• Expanded capacity and capability for the Museum’s glassblowing demonstration programs, to accommodate larger crowds and provide enhanced glassmaking capabilities for additional programming.

The design features a new building devoted to contemporary glass and a renovation of the historic Steuben factory %%blowing%% room as a new venue for the Museum’s signature glassmaking presentations.

Landscape architect firm Reed Hilderbrand Associates was selected to articulate the landscape of the campus, including the creation of a green space that will showcase four generations of distinctive modern and contemporary glass architecture on the campus. The new “campus green” will be situated on what is currently the Museum’s bus parking lot, between the former Steuben factory and Corning Incorporated office building.

Featuring a central lawn area, as well as large canopy trees, the space will feel like a calming and quiet outdoor room – an ideal spot for visitors or community members to relax or picnic, as well as a pleasant public space for Museum events.

The $64 million project is funded by the Museum’s major benefactor, Corning Incorporated. The project will break %%ground%% in spring 2012 and will be completed in 2014.

This new North Wing will effectively complete the Museum’s circulation plan, linking three generations of architecture spanning 60 years. The new master plan respects the original architecture, repurposes spaces to better serve both the Museum and its research and academic programs, and enhances the visitor experience.

As part of its facility improvement, the Museum recently renovated its restaurant space, designed by HAIGHArchitects in association with Hunt Engineers, Architects, Surveyors. Smith Miller + Hawkinson were also invited to revisit their 1999 design for the Museum’s orientation theater and transform it into an additional dynamic new glass demonstration venue, which will open to the public in June 2012.

North Wing Expansion Groundbreaking

The North Wing Expansion Groundbreaking will take place at The Corning Museum of Glass on Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 11:00am. Light refreshments will be provided. The public is welcome to attend, please RSVP to 607.438.5430 or rsvp@cmog.org.