The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum: The Building

History of the "Old Hundred"

Larry Aldrich purchased the historic "Old Hundred" building on Main Street in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to contain his growing collection of art in 1964. The building was constructed in 1783 by Joshua King and James Dole, two lieutenants in the Revolutionary War, and was nicknamed "Old Hundred" because it served as a grocery and hardware store from 1783 to 1883 and as Ridgefield's first post office. A descendant of Lieutenant King, Grace King Ingersoll, remodeled the building in 1883 and used it as her home. From 1929 to 1964, it served as Ridgefield's First Church of Christ, Scientist, becoming in 1964, The Larry Aldrich Museum.

Renovation and Expansion

After the 2001 vote to renovate the Museum, the architects were presented with the challenge of expanding a contemporary art museum located in an historic district with colonial roots. Architect Charles Mark Hay, design principal at Tappé Associates, Boston, based the new Aldrich on an abstraction of traditional New England architecture. Groundbreaking took place in April 2003; the Museum reopened to the public in June 2004 and successfully completed a $9 million capital campaign in December 2004.

The Aldrich Building Today

Today The Aldrich is comprised of the "Old Hundred" building that houses the Museum's administrative offices, and a new white clapboard and granite Museum building that provides public and exhibition spaces. The Aldrich's 25,000 square feet of new and redesigned space accommodates twelve galleries, including:

a screening room
a sound gallery
a 22-foot-high project space
a 100-seat performance area
an Education Center
Museum store
The Cornish Family Sculpture Garden, a two-acre outdoor exhibition space.

Design Award

The new Aldrich Museum building is the recipient of a design award from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), New England. The Museum also received an honorable mention from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation for its restoration efforts on the "Old Hundred" building.