Courtesy Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo Museum of Art
Toledo has been the Glass City since Edward Drummond Libbey moved his glassmaking company there in 1888. Thirteen years later, Libbey founded the Toledo Museum of Art, now home to one of the world’s top collections of glass art.
Given the city’s long ties to glassmaking, it is fitting that the museum’s newest building and most popular event venue is an all-glass pavilion, added in 2006.
“We have two buildings across the street from each other on our 36-acre campus,” said Kelly Garrow, director of communications. “On one side, there’s our 101-year-old main museum, and on the other side is the ultramodern glass pavilion, opened in 2006, that houses our glass collections. That building has floor-to-ceiling glass walls. It’s very transparent and a cool space to be in.”
The pavilion was a venue of choice for the Glass Art Society, which brought 2,000 attendees to Toledo for its international conference last year.
“The opening night gala was held in the GlasSalon,” said Garrow. “They used our 1,750-seat theater for their keynote presentations and awards ceremonies. They had a smaller dinner for honored guests and also used various classrooms around campus.”
Smaller groups also choose the GlasSalon and the adjoining Crystal Corridor, with its dramatic Dale Chihuly chandelier. ProMedica, a local health care system, holds its leadership breakfasts in the Glass Pavilion.
“At times you almost feel as if you’re outside, though you’re inside, because the walls are transparent,” said Garrow. ”People feel good about entertaining clients or bringing guests here.”
In the original museum building, a blocklong Neoclassical beauty, event spaces are classic in style. Libbey Court is framed by columns and lit by a skylight. The Cloister’s stone floors and colonnades have a medieval feel; the Peristyle lobby is Greek-inspired, with a frieze, cobblestone floors and marble columns.
But even the more-than-century-old building has modern flair. There’s a solar array atop the structure, manufactured by a local firm. That measure and others have cut the museum’s electric use by 79 percent over the past 20 years.
800-644-6862
www.toledomuseum.org
