Butler to open new skywalk, galleries

Staff report

Youngstown

The Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., will open the newly renovated third floor galleries of the Butler North Education Center and the new glass skywalk that connects it to the main museum Sept. 13.

Both projects will be dedicated Sept. 12 in a private event for museum members.

The new skywalk and Americana/Folk Art Galleries in the Butler North, formerly the First Christian Church building, will be open to the public during regular museum hours. As with all museum properties, admission will be free.

“The new Butler skywalk and Americana/Folk Art Galleries will provide a wonderful venue for experiencing a wholly different side of American art,” said Louis A. Zona, director of the Butler. “Our community and the nation-at-large has something very special to experience here at the Butler beginning in September.”

The skywalk links all galleries in the Youngstown campus under one roof for the first time. The $1.5 million project was begun last year and also includes the construction of an elevator in a glass tower in the Butler North. Funding came from contributions from regional companies, foundations and private donors.

Construction of the skywalk used an exposed steel tube structure with a point-supported glass encasement. The glass in the elevator tower is 3/4-inch tempered glass, while the glass in the skywalk is one inch-thick laminated glass.

The skywalk extends over the parking lot and provides a new entrance to all five levels of the Butler North via the elevator. Money-saving LED lighting was used in all areas of the project.

Approximately 2,775 square feet of existing classroom space on the third floor of the Butler North facility was renovated into four new galleries. An effort was made to maintain the building’s historic character. The Late Gothic Revival-style church opened in 1934, and new wood flooring was installed that matches the interior’s aged finishes.