The College began the first stage of construction for the new Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) building on Oct. 7. The building, located at the intersection of Routes 2 and 7 across from Greylock Quad and the Center for Development Economics, will open in 2027. It was designed by the Brooklyn-based architecture firm SO-IL and will be the museum’s first freestanding, purpose-built home.
During the first week of construction, Kelly Brothers Tree Service, a local landscaping company hired by the College, began to remove non-invasive trees and shrubs from the museum’s new site, according to Museum Project Director Devon Nowlin. The removal will clear the site so that the building’s foundation can be laid in early winter. In addition, the removal will allow the site to be leveled, ensuring that the paths between the museum and campus will be smooth and accessible for patrons, she said.
The team also intends to remove invasive species on and around the site — including Norway maple trees, garlic mustard plants, and Virginia creeper plants. “Whenever the College engages in these types of projects, it gets the opportunity to reevaluate the landscape, remove invasive species, and improve the ecology of the area,” Nowlin said. “This is why we want to remove these species from the site. It’s very important to the successful establishment of the new plantings and the sustainability goals that we’re aiming for.”
Tomorrow, the museum project team will present its plan to clear plants from a 200-foot riverbed on the site to the Town’s Conservation Commission, which reviews projects and policies intending to protect and preserve natural resources in the Town.
According to Senior Project Manager Scott Henderson, the team was not required to present to the committee but would like its input before starting its work. “Our goal is to fully understand the extent of tree removal and planting they would find acceptable as it relates to our overall landscape plan,” Henderson wrote in an email to the Record.
In the coming weeks, the construction team will establish access gates, create contractor parking, and bring electricity and water to the site. The team will also set up construction offices at the site of the former Northside Motel on North Street, which the College purchased this summer. “It is very beneficial for the WCMA project that we have a space that is proximal to the site, because it will serve as a really good home base for the contractors,” Nowlin said.
The construction team intends to complete its initial phase of sitework preparation by December, Nowlin said. It will then lay the concrete foundation of the building through January, begin early planting and reforestation, and install the building’s mass timber structure toward the end of the spring semester. Construction updates will be posted monthly on the museum project’s website.
To increase community engagement with the project, the museum opened the “SO-IL/WCMA: Building A New Museum” exhibition at the current WCMA building in May. The exhibition includes concept renderings, floor plans, and a 3D model of the museum’s new design. “The exhibition is really meant to be used as a tool to share our plans with as many people as possible,” Nowlin said. The exhibition will be on display through Dec. 22.
On Oct. 10, the museum project team held a community forum at the Williams Inn. Members presented the construction schedule, landscape plans, and design updates. The project team will also hold two public “office hours” at the WCMA exhibition to answer questions about the building’s design and construction plan. The first of these sessions will be held today at 2 p.m., and the second session will be held on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
