Architecture and Design

The main building is organized on a symmetrical T-plan anchored by two square corner towers whose copper cupolas have oxidized to a distinctive verdigris. The facade is built in red Dutch brick with white limestone dressings; Art Nouveau influence appears in the sinuous ironwork of the door frames, floral stained-glass transoms, and rhythmic arched window heads. Maclaine Pont integrated passive cooling into every decision: double-skin walls, an extensive covered colonnade, and the celebrated system of full-height pivoting glass doors that channel prevailing sea breezes through the building’s deep plan. The basement level retains its original hydraulic engineering infrastructure, now interpreted as part of the museum’s dark-history galleries.