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Fewer than seven years after opening, the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University broke ground Wednesday for a $25 million expansion that will double its gallery space to provide room for its growing collection and traveling exhibits. The ODU Real Estate Foundation project will add a 25,200-square-foot, three-story wing to the existing facility on the corner of 43rd Street and Hampton Boulevard in Norfolk. The museum will close on July 31 for construction.
The expanded facility — expected to reopen in early 2027 — will include event space, a community gallery for local artists, a multimedia video gallery, a hands-on educational laboratory and expanded art storage. The driving force for the expansion was the 2022 gift of 165 works of 20th century and contemporary glass sculptures donated by the three sons of the late Leah and Richard Waitzer . The new wing will carry the Waitzer family name.
The museum opened in November 2018 after art collectors and philanthropists Carolyn and Richard Barry donated $35 million in 2016 to establish it. “Never could we have imagined then how our modest vision for an intimate campus art museum would grow into what is now a vibrant cultural and community hub,” Carolyn Barry said in a news release. The expansion is an investment not only in the future growth of the university, but in the broader arts landscape of Hampton Roads, she said.
Lisa Chandler, chair of the ODU Real Estate Foundation board of trustees, said the growth is a “shining example of what’s possible when vision, philanthropy and partnership come together.” Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.
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