DALLAS — The largest museum in the Southeast dedicated to Asian art will soon open a second location.
Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas will open its new location on the university’s campus in Richardson. Events to celebrate the opening will begin Sept. 24.
The new facility was designed by international architect firm Morphosis. It will be the first cultural building to be completed as part of the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, which is supported by a $32 million gift from the O’Donnell Foundation.
The O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, which will be opened in multiple phases, is an arts and performance complex dedicated to enhancing and enriching the arts on campus and for the North Texas region.
Once complete, the 12-acre cultural district will house three buildings: the Crow Museum of Asian Art’s second location and additional galleries, a performance hall and music building, plus another planned museum.
“Serving as the gateway to the UT Dallas campus, the O’Donnell Athenaeum will become a destination to foster engagement in the arts and learning not only for college students, faculty and staff but for the surrounding communities, Texans and visitors from across the globe,” according to a media release about the opening.
Trammell and Margaret Crow opened the museum’s first location in 1998 at 2010 Flora Street in the Arts District of Dallas. Trammell Crow, who died in 2009, founded Dallas real estate development firm Trammell Crow Co. in 1948. The company's major projects helped shape the Dallas skyline and include Trammell Crow Center and the Dallas Market Center. Trammell Crow Co. recently signed on to develop office space at Fields West, a 160-acre mixed-use site rising in Frisco anchored by two hotels, retail, restaurant and commercial space. And the development company is one of a handful of big-name companies involved in a big high-end project at the intersection of Knox and Travis streets in Dallas.
Crow opened the museum with his wife in hopes of sharing their love of Asian art and culture with the public. Only a handful of museums in the United States are dedicated to Asian art.
The Crow Museum of Asian Art is free and open to the public. The museum celebrates the arts and cultures of Asia, from ancient history to the present day, through permanent and traveling exhibitions.
The Crow Museum’s original location in downtown Dallas will remain open.
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new location and additional galleries will be held Sept. 24 along with a groundbreaking ceremony for the second phase of the project, which will include the construction of a performance hall and music building.
