Rockwell Family History
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BACKGROUND: ROBERT AND HERTHA ROCKWELL, COLLECTORS OF WESTERN ART
How is it that Corning, New York boasts one of the country's finest collections of Western art? The story of that impressive collection begins with Bob and Hertha Rockwell, for whom the museum is named.
"Almost a Westerner," Bob Rockwell moved to his family's cattle ranch in Gunnison County, Colorado one month after his birth in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1911. He grew up riding with old-time cowboys and talking with men who had been part of the opening of the west. In his home hung prints of works by Charles M. Russell: "When Horseflesh Comes High," "Jerked Down," "A Bronc for Breakfast" and "Men of the Open Range." So the culture of the old west and its images, captured by one of the era's finest illustrators, made their indelible mark. Add to that the fact that Rockwell is "just naturally a collector" - concentrating on arrowheads and butterflies in his youth - and the seeds of collecting Western art were sown.
After graduating from Stanford University, Bob Rockwell came to Corning to help his grandfather run the family department stores on Market Street and in three other small cities in the area. At the time, he thought that job would be temporary, but in 2000, he is still here.
It was here, in fact, that Rockwell began collecting Western art. His first purchase is now legendary: it was a fake! He bought the "Remington" oil in Elmira and proudly displayed it in the Corning department store window. On a trip west, he showed a photograph of it to Dr. Harold McCracken, then director of The Buffalo Bill Historical Society and an expert in western art. McCracken gave him the bad news.
Undaunted, however, Rockwell determined to learn more about the art he loved. He continued his relationship with McCracken, building a strong friendship as well as learning a great deal from him. And he sought out other experts and knowledgeable, reputable art dealers as well. His collection grew rapidly and steadily to include many of the masters of 19th century Western painting, sculpture and illustration. The largely realistic body of work provides a visual history of frontier America - cowboys, settlers, Native Americans and the vast and compelling landscape of the West. It includes two-dimensional pieces by George Catlin, Alfred Jacob Miller, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, C. M. Russell, Joseph Henry Sharp, E. Irving Couse, Oscar Berninghaus, and William R. Leigh. His collection also grew to include bronzes and other sculptures by Cyrus E. Dallin, C. M. Russell and Frederic S. Remington.
Over time, Hertha Rockwell was drawn into the collecting as well. Summering in the Rocky Mountains, the family often took trips to Taos and Santa Fe - meccas for western art -where Hertha became involved in buying paintings, sculptures and artifacts. Her taste was decisive.
For years, the Rockwells displayed some of their paintings in the Rockwell Department Store. But their collection was vast and precious, far larger than could be housed in the store. So in 1974, they generously decided to donate much of their collection to the museum that bears their name. At first, it was housed on the second floor of the Baron Steuben Place. In 1982, the collection moved into its present home in the Old City Hall building. Bob and Hertha Rockwell have remained active in the museum, serving on its Board of Trustees and continuing to add to the collection with donations of art. With each move, the museum has improved its ability to display and interpret the collection. The new exhibits and programs planned for the Rockwell Museum represent a bold and exciting next step. In their new surroundings, this incredible collection will enjoy its finest interpretation ever. Here, the Rockwell passion for Western art will be shared with larger numbers of visitors than ever before. Their vision will have a profound legacy.
"What a wonderful building -- I hope I get to work somewhere near it!" Architect Jim Czajka's words are now part of the lore of the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Early in 2000, Czajka came to Corning, New York, to take a look at the museum building that had once been Corning's City Hall. As he drove into this rural, upstate community, 250 miles west of his firm's offices in New York City, one building's impressive roofline and tower caught his eye. And then he discovered that, in fact, this was the museum! In March 2000, he made a proposal to the museum's board of trustees. They liked what they saw and selected his firm, ABC Architects and Planners, to undertake the $6.25 million renovation project. Over the next 14 months, Czajka led the team of architects, planners, and engineers that gutted the building and reconstructed it. The Rockwell Museum of Western Art reopened to the public on May 18, 2001.
The Original City Hall
Built in 1893, Corning's original City Hall was designed by Rochester architect A.J. Warner. Warner chose a popular historic revival style that drew from European architectural styles of the Middle Ages. Elongated and pointed windows suggest Gothic influence, but as the heavy stone arch and massive overall appearance reveal, the main source of inspiration was the earlier Romanesque style. Corning builder Thomas Bradley used brick, locally quarried limestone, and terra-cotta in the construction. The entire project was completed for less than $29,000, funded by a bond issue.
By the late 1960s, the building had begun to deteriorate. In the Flood of 1972, the basement and much of the ground floor were submerged and suffered extensive damage. Despite its condition, the old City Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated) bought the building from the City of Corning for $1.00, and paid for the adaptive re-use renovation in order to create appropriate space for the museum collection. Architect John D. Milner developed plans for this renovation, and City Hall reopened as the Rockwell Museum in 1982.
Czajka's Approach to Renovation
After assessing the structure, listening thoughtfully to the Museum's director and trustees, and studying the art collection, Czajka defined clear goals for the architectural renovation project. He wanted the building to reflect the major themes of its re-configured collection: "the romance, wonder, and joy of the American experience as shown so vividly in the art of the American West." In keeping with the museum's collection and character, he thought the spaces needed to feel "comfortable and welcoming," yet they also needed to provide a coherent pattern for exhibits, education, public gatherings, support services, and circulation. And of course, he was committed to providing excellence of architectural design, sound engineering, and excellent construction in context of a building of great historical importance. All this - and complete the project in time for the Museum to reopen in May 2001, its 25th anniversary.
As Czajka and his team worked through these and other challenges, they explored numerous options. By August, when the Museum closed for renovations, they had developed a design and a plan that excited and inspired the trustees and staff.
Even as the construction began, however, Czajka and his team continued to refine the plan. He explains, "As the project progressed, I became more and more aware of the importance of the Rockwell collection, both as an expression of popular culture and as high art. We tried to reflect this duality in the architecture of the building in as many ways as possible."
The New Interior
In meeting the need to refurbish the exterior, Czajka also seized the opportunity to accentuate the building's magnificent features. A new roof and windows were practical necessities. But as Czajka replaced these, he began to create a welcoming aura on the outside. He softened the color scheme - a lighter gray for the roof, and window surrounds painted a soft blue to bring out the warm tones in the brick. Perhaps the most welcoming change was the decision - long debated - to remove the massive stone stairwell and create a ground level entrance for the museum. The new wood-framed front doors were designed with grand proportions befitting the building, but with large glass panes that invite the eye into the interior.
On the ground floor, the architect created a rotunda, setting the tone for the journey West with a medallion featuring the museum's buffalo logo in a rustic tile floor, and a massive Western chandelier overhead. A new mahogany staircase opposite the front doors echoes the proportions of the original exterior stairs and guides the eye upward to the Museum's special exhibition gallery. Most visitors will turn left, however, where a new admissions area, museum shop styled as a western Trading Post, and orientation gallery all convey the mood of the West.
On the second floor, Czajka created a "lodge" - a spacious room designed to resemble the great room of a ranch house. Complete with massive stone fireplace, the room is designed with mahogany trim and cases that now contain some of the Museum's Native American ethnographic objects. The art of Remington and Russell adorns the walls, and visitors will find it hard to resist sinking back into the comfortable furniture. As Czajka points out, however, there is a counterpoint to this homey Western room: "Its companion Works on Paper Gallery on the same floor is a quiet and simple space that focuses attention solely on the art." Across the back of the building, a new art room provides abundant practical space for the museum's hands-on programs.
Most of the Museum's treasures are exhibited in third floor galleries that are distinctly different from the last renovation. A spacious central gallery is surrounded by five smaller galleries that focus on central themes: Cowboy, Indian, Horse, Buffalo, and Wilderness. As Czajka explains, "The third floor galleries have a formal layout that would be suitable for the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Louvre, but the brilliant wall colors add a layer of accessibility, informality, and fun to the works on display." One entirely new feature is an exterior terrace, opening from the central gallery and spanning the entire West side of the museum. From there, visitors overlook Plaza West, an exterior space with Western architectural and landscaping features. This area provides parking most of the time but doubles as a park-like setting for special activities.
Mission Style detailing is used throughout the building. As Czajka explains, it is "a decorative style that is at once popular and profound. Everyone recognizes and feels comfortable with it -- it is very common in older Corning homes -- yet it is an internationally recognized and appreciated style that has had a significant effect on 20th Century architecture and design."
About the Architects
Jim Czajka grew up in Buffalo, New York, and earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has taught at SUNY Buffalo, and practiced in several firms including The Ehrenkrantz Group, Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects & Planners, and SOM/Paul Willen before founding ABC in 1993. He is currently principal of James Vincent Czajka, Architects
John Boyer worked closely with Czajka on the Rockwell Museum project. Previously he worked for Joseph Pell Lombardi and Associates and Francesca Russo, Architect in projects including theaters, churches and other public buildings in the New York City area. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from University of Wisconsin, and a second master's in historic preservation from University of Pennsylvania.
The architectural team working on the museum also included Ryan Koslowski, a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa. Among his contributions to the project, he produced the video summary of the collection,¬ a main feature of the Orientation Gallery.
GBC Award
The Rockwell Museum of Western Art benefited not only from excellent architectural design, but also from excellent execution of the plans. Welliver-McGuire, the project general contractor, won the GBC 2001 Build New York Award for their outstanding work in construction. The General Building Contractors of New York State, a trade association, gave their top prize to Welliver-McGuire based on criteria including: excellence in project management, responsiveness to client needs, innovation in construction techniques, materials or equipment, overcoming challenging, unusual or unique circumstances, exceptional service, excellence in project safety, and contributions to the community.
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