Independent Arts News Reporting Woodmere Museum Celebrates Grand Opening of Frances M. Maguire Hall
Reported on Friday, November 21, 2025.
Pictured Above: Woodmere Maguire Hall. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Expansion Unites Art, Nature, and Community in Chestnut Hill
Philadelphia, PA — Woodmere Art Museum marked a historic milestone this past weekend with the grand opening of Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art and Education, a transformative addition that expands the museum’s mission to celebrate the art and artists of Philadelphia.
The November 1–2 celebration drew hundreds of visitors to the museum’s Chestnut Hill campus, offering free admission, guided tours, family art activities, and live music amid the newly revitalized grounds. The festive weekend highlighted the museum’s newest galleries, featuring Philadelphia’s schools of American Impressionism, modernism, mid-century abstraction, and figurative realism, as well as works by Violet Oakley and the Red Rose Girls.
With 14 new galleries, a children’s art studio, and 17,000 square feet of exhibition space, Maguire Hall represents the most significant expansion in Woodmere’s 115-year history. The addition also introduces WOW: Woodmere’s Outdoor Wonder, an art-and-nature trail showcasing monumental sculptures by Robinson Fredenthal and others.
“This transformation solidifies Woodmere’s place in the broader story of American art,” said William R. Valerio, Ph.D., The Patricia Van Burgh Allison Director and CEO. “Our unified campus embodies the vision of our dear friend Frances M. Maguire, whose belief in the mind-opening power of the arts continues to inspire.”
Pictured Above: Woodmere Maguire Hall Frances M. Maguire portrait. Photo Credit: Contributed
Made possible through a lead gift from the Maguire Foundation, the project preserves the historic 19th-century St. Michael’s Hall estate—now Frances M. Maguire Hall—and its surrounding greenspace within the Wissahickon Watershed. Architectural partners included Matthew Baird Architects, Krieger + Associates, and Andropogon Landscape Architects, ensuring a seamless integration of art, architecture, and ecology.
Woodmere now spans two neighboring sites—Charles Knox Smith Hall and Frances M. Maguire Hall—offering expanded exhibitions, educational programs, and public events.
Throughout the year, Woodmere offers family events, tours, gallery talks, lectures, panel discussions, studio art classes, film, and music performances. The Charles Knox Smith Hall is located at 9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19118. The Frances M. Maguire Hall address is 9001 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19118. Both buildings will follow the current hours, open to the public Wednesday – Sunday, 10 am – 5 pm. Current admission is $10; Admission is always FREE on Sunday. For more information: woodmereartmuseum.org
