With more than 100 years of history, Woodmere has acquired its fair share of art. The Chestnut Hill museum owns more than 11,000 pieces — a collection of paintings, sculptures, and photographs centered around the art and artists of Philadelphia and the region.

However, many of these works have gone unseen by the public, stored in vaults at Woodmere’s Charles Knox Smith Hall. Space constraints hindered the museum’s ability to display more of its collection — until now.

The brand new Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1 and 2. Located just blocks away from Woodmere’s main building, the Victorian mansion and former convent has undergone extensive renovations since it was purchased by the institution in 2021.

According to William Valerio, director and chief executive officer of Woodmere, this significant expansion was an “extraordinary opportunity” for the museum.

“If I were to say, what is the transformative aspect of this expansion of the institution?” he said, the answer “is to show the world that Woodmere’s collection is one of the great collections of American art.”

A storied history

Maguire Hall’s history dates back to the 1850s, when a metals merchant named William Henry Trotter commissioned the mansion for his new bride, Maria Louisa Farr. The building then passed through the hands of several industrialists, including Alfred Craven Harrison, who built additions to the house. By the 1920s, the Sisters of Saint Joseph acquired the property and renamed it Saint Michael’s Hall.

Flashing forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sisters recognized it was time to pass the torch of ownership. Valerio and his team at Woodmere believed the institution would be the perfect fit to honor the history of the estate while also giving it a new purpose.

The Maguire Foundation, a nonprofit committed to investing in the arts and humanities, made a lead gift of $10 million to rename the building after Frances “Frannie” Maguire, an artist and Woodmere trustee who died in 2020. Other donor contributions followed and before long, renovations began.

Entering the 21st century

The transformation of a Victorian mansion into a modern museum required considerable effort. Baird Architects, of New York, and Krieger Architects in Chestnut Hill worked diligently to both preserve the building’s character and history, while also installing 21st-century requirements, such as smoke detectors, sprinklers, exit signs, an elevator, and climate control systems.

“The real trick of this renovation was taking a building that was built as a residence in 1855 or 1890, depending on what part of the house you’re talking about, and bringing it up to public safety standards and museum standards in 2025,” Valerio said.

Consider, for example, the exterior of Maguire Hall. The entrance plaza is a circle so that a horse-pulled carriage coming up Lincoln Drive could easily drop off passengers and turn around. Woodmere maintained this circular shape while still meeting modern codes, adding an accessibility ramp that curves around the plaza.

Touring the galleries

Maguire Hall’s 14 galleries showcases approximately 500 pieces of 20th and 21st century art. Each space is carefully curated to display a certain theme while honoring inclusivity.

The five galleries on the first floor are dedicated to living artists of Philadelphia, including works from Bo Bartlett and Ashley Flynn. A colorful portrait of Frances Maguire by Kassem Amoudi hangs next to a Thomas Sully painting of the house’s other matriarch, Maria Louisa Farr.

On the second floor, women artists have their own space to shine, while another gallery showcases the legacy of Philadelphia impressionism. One of the highlights of Maguire Hall is the gallery dedicated to Violet Oakley and her series, “The Building of the House of Wisdom.” Shaped to mirror the original installation of the murals, the gallery is an impressive feat.

On the top floor, Woodmere’s works on paper, including illustrations, prints, and photographs, are given a proper home. Peter Paone’s “Snowpeople” — a series representing the human condition through snow figures — currently lines the walls.

The building’s lower level — which was once a heavily secured area for storing family heirlooms — includes a handful of galleries that tell the story of Philadelphia’s jewelry and metalsmithing legacy.

In addition to the galleries, there is a new hands-on studio for children’s art and education as well as public event spaces.

Attention to detail

Everywhere one looks in Maguire Hall, there are details — and every detail was considered.

In the mansion’s dining room, the stained glass windows feature St. Francis in a namesake homage to Frances Maguire. In the breakfast room, the red paint on the walls was chosen to match the original color of the space — an undertaking that involved having Kilian Hardware mix an entirely new color, “Woodmere Red.” Similarly, in the impressionism gallery, the wallpaper was created from scratch to match a small fragment of wallpaper found during renovations.

This attention to detail highlights Woodmere’s central mission of being a cultural destination that prioritizes history while also planting seeds for the future.

On Nov. 1 and 2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Woodmere invites visitors to explore Maguire Hall (9001 Germantown Ave.) with free admission. The weekend will be filled with art, music, giveaways, and food. Learn more at woodmereartmuseum.org.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.