In the fall of 2019, the trustees of the New Bedford Art Museum selected Machado Silvetti to assess the feasibility of a future renovation and expansion. The museum is currently housed in the Anthony S. Catojo Jr. Building, a neoclassical former bank constructed around 1917, which also holds municipal offices for the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts.  

The study analyzed the museum’s existing physical, spatial, and programmatic conditions as a means to realize its ambitions for an expanded programmatic offering. While stately, the existing building faced a number of systemic challenges addressed by the study, including poor ADA accessibility, inadequate egress and climate control, subpar lighting, low restroom capacity, and insufficient loading and storage. The museum also needed to expand its exhibition capacity, public visibility, storage, staff and support spaces, and educational offerings. The study tested a number of programmatic compositions and architectural design scenarios to address these various needs within the existing shell of the historic building.  

The proposed design greatly enhances the museum’s capacity to serve as a cultural anchor within the city by increasing its visibility, collections capacity, and educational programing—while also providing a new home for New Bedford’s robust historic art collection.

“This project is really going to transform the culture and art in New Bedford. There's just so many positive reasons for this to happen. For both the city and the building itself.”

— Ashely Occhino, NBAM’s executive director