A Lawrence firm, Mar Lan Construction, has been chosen to carry out the first phase of a major renovation project at Kansas University’s Spencer Museum of Art, the museum announced Tuesday.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May. According to the museum, the project will transform more than 30,000 square feet of the building and represents the first major renovation there since the museum was completed in 1977.

This rendering shows the expanded lobby and glass-encased entry in the first phase of the Spencer Museum of Art renovations. Image courtesy of the Spencer Museum of Art and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Mar Lan Construction has worked on several other recent projects at KU, including ongoing construction of the DeBruce Center for the Original Rules of Basketball, the Lied Center Pavilion and the Swarthout Recital Hall renovation.

In a news release, Mar Lan General Manager Gale Lantis described the Spencer project as “transformative” and said it was a privilege to be involved.

The museum has exceeded its original $5 million fundraising goal for the project but is still accepting donations through KU Endowment, according to the museum’s announcement.

Phase I will expand the lobby, renovate the central court and surrounding galleries, add a central elevator and staircase, and add a two-story, floor-to-ceiling window looking onto Marvin Grove. It also includes the new Stephen H. Goddard Study Center and an expanded teaching gallery.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is the leading architecture firm on the project, with Sabatini Architects of Lawrence as an associate architect. 

The museum’s galleries are closed until the project’s completion, which is slated for mid-2016. The museum plans off-site programs in the meantime, with more information available on its website, spencerart.ku.edu.