The Museum of Russian Icons was founded in 2006 as a nonprofit educational institution by Massachusetts industrialist Gordon B. Lankton. Including more than 500 Russian icons and artifacts, the collection is the largest of its kind in North America, and one of the largest private collections outside Russia. Spanning six centuries, the collection includes important historical paintings dating from the earliest periods of icon “writing” to the present.
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The mission of the Museum of Russian Icons is to enhance relations between Russia and the United States through the medium of art, especially Russian icons.
The Museum is housed in a 150-year-old former mill building. A contemporary, aluminum-clad addition to the mill building accommodating the South Gallery, Library and offices was completed in 2008. The 150-year-old former courthouse and police station with cells adjacent to the mill building was acquired in 2010 and renovated to provide additional gallery space, a terrace with a green roof, a tea room, and performance facilities accommodating lectures and concerts.
Museum renovations, addition and interiors were designed by David and Pamela Durrant of Durrant Design, www.durrantdesign.net, and implemented by T. H. Smith Building and Remodeling. The interior of the historic structures were gutted, strengthened, re-roofed and refurbished. The Museum's physical plant is an energy efficient building featuring a 30 kilowatt photovoltaic array and LED lighting systems. The building is super insulated and maintains the appropriate temperature and humidity controls for the icons.
Building designer David Durrant stated, “Gordon told us he wanted a facility that would stack up against the great museums of this country, and we believe that is what we have achieved.” The overall appearance of the original building is deceptive. Outside, other than a laser-cut sign identifying the Museum the building restoration maintains the original historic facade with its brick façade and gabled roof. Its presence complements Clinton’s beautiful public common, Central Park. At the rear of the building the south elevation presents a contemporary face with the south-facing window walls featuring a changing LED light show at night.
The Museum facility is now 16,000 square feet and comprises gallery spaces, a research library, archive storage, conservation studio, conference room and offices, performance facilities accommodating lectures and concerts, catering kitchen, a tea room, terrace, a green roof, mechanical rooms and rest rooms.Three floors are connected by a custom-designed, sweeping metal and glass stairway that allows visual access from virtually any place in the museum. All levels are also connected by an elevator; the building is totally ADA compliant.
