Travis Walters
The SCAD Museum of Art re-opened in Kiah Hall after an extensive renovation project on its exterior. The building was constructed in 1856 to serve as headquarters for the Central of Georgia Railroad, and for a time was known as the Gray Building. In its peak the railroad had some 2000 miles of track and all the trains were serviced at the rail yards that are now Eichberg and Kiah Halls.
The decline of the buildings began after 1923 when the railroad switched to diesel locomotives and service
moved to their Macon, GA yard. The renovation of Kiah Hall was largely funded by a Save America’s Treasures grant with additional funding coming from grants by the Carles A. Frueauff Foundation and the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation. In addition to repairs being made on the masonry, stucco, chimneys and drainage, the renovation replaced the original roofing with a new roll-seam, stainless steel roof, and the original windows were restored and re-installed.
Now there are plans to expand the museum, with its growing permanent collection overfilling its current quarters in Kiah Hall. The crumbling building behind Kiah Hall, which has been fenced off for some time, will be removed and the “shell [of the new building] will be rebuilt using salvaged bricks from the demolished structure,” said Maurene Burke, director of the Museum of Art. The new structure will be 800 feet long and 60 feet across. The whole structure would be approximately as long as neighboring Eichberg Hall. The museum annex will be housed in the building that’s already attached to Kiah Hall that’s not in use presently. The rest of the space will be “classroom space, as well as an auditorium for lectures,” said Martin Smith, executive director for design and new construction at SCAD.
“The college has not yet determined exactly what programs of study will be located in the education space within the new building,” said Smith.
“[The annex] will include the Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies, and other galleries that we simply don’t have the space for now,” said Burke.
The Evans collection comprises a group of 70 works of African American art donated to the college from the collection of Walter O. Evans, a retired surgeon native to Savannah. The collection includes work by Aaron Douglas, a master of the Harlem Renaissance, Jacob Lawrence, and Romare Bearden among others from the 19th and 20th-century periods.
Patrons would enter into a large atrium through the large door that exists today in the center of Kiah Hall, which presently opens into a vault; entry would also be possible off Turner Street, and the courtyard between Kiah and Eichberg. Lord, Aeck & Sargent based out of Atlanta is the architectural firm overseeing the project. They are working with local architect Neil Dawson as well as Quenroe Associates based out of Colorado. Quenroe designs and builds museum exhibits, and have worked with the Smithsonian Institution, among others. “Groundbreaking will be this fall,” said Burke. No official date has been set as of yet. There will be a Capitol Campaign to raise money for the project as well.
The museum is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with no charge to visitors. It is located at 227 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. between Eichberg and Crites Halls.
Photo credit: James Biscardi
