Morse Museum to Build New Pavilion for Educational Programming

Courtesy Morse Museum

The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park will begin construction this summer on a new Jeannette G. and Hugh F. McKean Pavilion, a project designed to expand and modernize the museum’s educational and event spaces.

Located behind the museum at 161 W. Canton Ave., the current pavilion has served as the institution’s programming hub since 1995, when a former bank building was adapted for museum use. The replacement facility will add approximately 3,000 square feet of flexible space while maintaining the existing building’s footprint and architectural character.

Courtesy Morse Museum

“The current building was never designed for the way we use it today,” said museum director and chief curator Jennifer Thalheimer. She noted that the new pavilion will better support growing programming needs, evolving technology, and expanded community outreach efforts.

Designed by Winter Park architects Susan Gantt and Ed Gantt, the pavilion will complement the museum’s Mediterranean-style campus while providing updated interiors and improved functionality.

The museum will remain open throughout the construction process, which is expected to take at least a year. Programs will continue at various locations on campus and at off-site venues. Visitors should expect limited on-site parking during construction, with additional parking available at the nearby Park Place garage and surrounding streets.

The Morse Museum is internationally known for housing the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including his celebrated chapel from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and architectural elements from his Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall.