Royal Ontario Museum

Founded on April 16, 1912 and opened on March 19, 1914, the museum has had close ties with
the University of Toronto throughout its history. With over 6,000,000 objects and 40 galleries, the
museum's various collections of world cultural and natural history contribute to its international
fame. The museum contains a collection of dinosaurs, minerals and meteorites; Canadian, and
European historical artifacts; as well as African, Near Eastern, and East Asian art. (Cision. 25
September 2009)

BUILDING SIZE: 182,000 sq.ft / 17,280 sqm.

LOCATION: 100 Queen's Park Toronto, Ontario
ARCHITECTS: Frank Darling and John A. Pearson, two Toronto architects, designed the
building.
FRANK DARLING: Darling was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the
Ontario Association of Architects, and the Toronto Guild of Civic Art, among other
organizations. He was the first Canadian to get the gold medal of the Royal Institute of British
Architects. He was considered one of the top architects in the British Empire. (Torontoist.
Retrieved 26 March 2012)
JOHN A. PEARSON: Pearson was honored for his accomplishments in
the workplace. At the University of Toronto, he was the first to be awarded
an Honorary Doctor of Architecture. After the death of his long-time
business partner, he continued to work in architecture until 1935, when he
retired. Pearson died in 1940 at his house at 210 Forest Hill Road. (Press
release. Royal Ontario Museum. 25 February 2010)
EXTERIOR OF ONTARIO MUSEUM:
The name Michael Lee-Chin Crystal comes from the building's five
intersecting volumes, which resemble crystals. The Stair of
Wonders, which is dedicated to vertical circulation but also has
exhibition vitrines at the landings, is housed in one of the crystals, and
the fifth crystal houses a café. Despite the jumbled façade, the
confluence of spaces created by the crystal-like structure creates a
variety of atriums at various levels of the museum, each allowing a
distinct view into galleries and out into the world. Even though it
appears as if the previous structure was given little thought, one vast
atrium, known as the Gloria Hyacinth Chen Court, which separates
the new construction from the historic building, allows a virtually
complete view of the restored historic façade. (Kevin Plummer,
November 19th, 2011)
Interior of Royal
Ontario Museum:
The interior of the building is a
pleasant surprise; the relatively
intricate ornamentation of the
façade is forgotten, and a great
plan develops. It is straightforward,
straightforward, and large in scope.
One is confident that the
designer's early Beaux-Arts
expertise was not in vain. The glass
mosaic ceiling of the entry rotunda
is a standout feature of the
interior. It is done in bright colors
and gold, and it's a lovely touch in
the one area of the structure where
the architect could decorate
without clashing with the displays.
(Firefly Books, 1990)

Architectural Style:
The original building's
architectural style is a mix of
Italianate and Neo-
Romanesque. The building is
strongly massed, with rounded
and segmented arched
windows with heavy surrounds
and hood moldings
punctuating it. (Globe and
Mail, May 10, 1922)
The Royal Ontario Museum's program offers a fantastic chance for bold
new architecture and the establishment of a major public attraction.
This structure presents a one-of-a-kind story that encapsulates ROM's
programmatic content as well as the site's singularity. The Crystal turns
the ROM's hidden and fortress-like nature into an inspirational
ambiance dedicated to the Museum's revival as Toronto's dynamic
heart. (David Boyle: From Artisan to Archaeologist, 2010)

Combined with forward-thinking and daring architecture, the historical

structures form an ensemble that revitalizes the Museum's urban
significance by resolving challenging functional difficulties while
drastically upgrading exhibitions, facilities, programming, and
amenities. The Museum transforms into a dazzling beacon, a veritable
showcase of people, events, and artifacts, transforming the entire
museum complex into a world-class destination. (Dickson, 1986)
The relationship of the new structure to the existing building
was particularly important with regard to the seismic design.
No increase in the transverse load had to be transferred to the
sensitive original masonry structure, which would have
required a complete and relatively expensive upgrade. As a
result, great care was taken in the positioning of supports and
bearings when they were unavoidable. The very unusual shape
of the new building required wind tunnel tests to determine
the effects of the exerted wind forces, including air resistance,
as well as the effects of unforeseen changes on the existing
building. This modeling was also used to verify the
performance of laboratory gaseous extract from the museum's
conservation departments and to predict snow drift and ice
formation on both the new and existing buildings. Since the
existing roofs had a relatively small capacity, snow drifts had to
be avoided. (batcon.org. 15 October 2013)
There seems to be a very visible conflict between the two
structures. The extension to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM),
now the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is not in harmony with the
existing structure at all. In an abstract sense, it reveals the nature
of today’s society. As if the old cultural norms are being
challenged, but a much more diverse, exploded technological
advancement. The concept is to differentiate between the two
while at the same time expressing that they can exist together,
even if it’s not in harmony with the other. (History of the Royal
Ontario Museum, 29 July 2019)

References:
Cision. 25 September 2009 [online] available at:
http://www.epab.bme.hu/oktatas/2009-2010-2/v-CA-B-
Ms/FreeForm/Examples/OntarioMuseum.pdf
Press release. Royal Ontario Museum. 25 February 2010 [online] available at:
https://libeskind.com/work/royal-ontario-museum/
batcon.org. 15 October 2013 [online] available at:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Ontario_Museumhttps://torontoist.com/201
1/11/historicist-the-lasting-legacy-of-darling-and-pearson/3/
Dickson, 1986 [online] available at:
https://www.arch2o.com/royal-ontario-museum-studio-daniel-libeskind/