The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced that it will launch new dining concept, Stir, in October. Iconic Los Angeles-based architect Frank Gehry and his firm Gehry Partners will oversee the design of the restaurant, which will be his only public dining project on the East Coast.
Stir will offer the first visible note of Gehry’s distinctive architectural style in the museum’s public spaces—a signature touch of the architect who is currently transforming much of the interior of the museum’s 1928 building, scheduled for completion in 2020. The restaurant’s centerpiece will be a striking sculptural feature, shaped in Douglas fir and flowing in form, that extends from the ceiling above the main dining room.
In addition to the undulating ceiling, Gehry’s design of the 76-person eatery will exude warmth and intimacy through elements like red oak floors, frosted glass, felt, steel, leather, bronze, and onyx. The dining room will also frame views of the kitchen.
The museum has also announced that a new, enlarged cafeteria will open adjacent to Stir with 160 seats, overlooking the campus’s East Terrace and garden.
