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Since its opening in March of 1914, the Royal Ontario Museum has attracted approx. 750,000 to a million visitors per year. The museum is Canada's largest museum of world culture and natural history. With six million objects in the ROM's collection, there is something new to discover around every corner.
As well as preserving the past, the ROM is undergoing its own renaissance with the creation of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. Slated to be completed in 2007, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal project will restore the original beauty of the historic building as well as create a new signature building for Toronto.
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Beautifully designed by world renowned architect
Daniel Libeskind, the crystal design with its stunning
use of interlocking prismatic forms will transform this important
corner of Toronto. Daniel Libeskind is an international figure
in architectural practice and urban design. Born in postwar
Poland he studied architecture and received his degree in
1970 from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science
and Art in New York City. He received a postgraduate degree
in History and Theory of Architecture at the School of Comparative
Studies at Essex University (England) in 1972. With well over
30 international projects completed or in the works, Mr. Libeskind
has no plans for slowing down.
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal will transform this historic
corner of Toronto into a luminous public space, a showcase
of people, events, and objects. People will become part of
the ROM experience by simply looking in or passing by. When
visitors cross the threshold to enter the Michael Lee-Chin
Crystal, they will immediately experience the dramatic Hyacinth
Gloria Chen Crystal Court. The Hyacinth Gloria Crystal Court
will function as a spectacular entrance hall through which
ROM visitors will flow, taking in the breath and extravagance
of the new Crystal building and its soaring levels. Two intriguing
staircases will flank the Crystal Court - the new, monumental
Stair of Wonders and the grand Spirit House - and wind up
through the east and west crystals, providing tantalizing
glimpses into the floors above. As visitors move forward,
the Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court will open out into
the traditional heart of the Museum, the Samuel Hall Currelly
Gallery. In this gallery, visitors will be able to look into
the two cornerstone collections of the Museum: Canada and
Asia. The Sigmund Samuel Gallery of Canada: Historical and
Decorative Arts and the Daphne Cockwell Gallery of Canada:
First Peoples will cover the length of newly restored Weston
Heritage Building while Asia will occupy the length of the
Philosopher's Walk building. The new crystal and heritage
galleries on the third floor will bring a wealth of new collections
to light, including the Gallery of Africa, the Americas and
the Asia Pacific and the Eaton Gallery of Rome and the Sir
Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery. The most spectacular
are the galleries of the fourth floor crystal, perched 110
feet above Bloor Street. With peaked ceilings up to 50 feet
high, they allow for the full appreciation of both the Museum's
newly released textile and costume collection, featured in
the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costume, and the
enlarged Institute for Contemporary Culture.
This exciting moment in the Royal Ontario Museums history
will open with festivities and celebrations in June of 2007.
The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal galleries and public spaces including
restaurants, retail space and special event areas will open
during June 2007, while ten more new and renovated galleries
in the historic buildings will open in sequence.
The Hazelton Hotel will often partner with the ROM, situated
within easy walking distance, encouraging visitors to take
part in this new Cultural Renaissance.
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