Whitby Station Gallery

The historic Whitby Station Gallery of 1901 is a charming Queen Anne "Witches Hat" turreted design. Saved by relocation to a new site in the 1970s, it was extensively renovated/restored in the 1980s as an Art Gallery. In 2004, the building was relocated once again and expanded to meet its gallery objectives.

In our design concept, we drew inspiration from the building's own history and context, as well as exploring the typology of railway forms, structures and materials. We positioned the new work west and south of the relocated station, with design and material references to platforms, canopies, passenger and box cars, industrial sheds and service structures, railroad tracks and wild grass landscapes.

Areas of expansion are held away from the historic station to retain it as a 'building in the round'. The new lobby is the hub of the gallery, with a reception desk positioned to supervise circulation to all areas. A glass link was slipped under the port cochere, connecting the new elements to the old front door. Whereas the historic station's interior was preserved, the new train shed is divided into gallery, reception, classrooms and service spaces by interior objects, expanding visual spaciousness by permitting exciting views and a play of light.