The Crystal Bridges Museum will open its doors to the general public in its 100th year today, marking the first time it has done so in nearly a century.
Located in downtown Boston, the museum features the largest collection of modern ice sculptures in the world, featuring works by renowned artist Charles Dickens, Charles Babbage, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jules Verne, Mark Twain, J.R.
R Tolkien and others.
The new opening comes after the museum underwent a major renovation that saw the exterior and interior renovated to include glass panels and new lighting.
It’s the largest glass restoration in the United States and the first to be done in Boston, according to the museum’s website.
The building was originally designed in 1893 by the Boston Public Library and is home to a variety of artworks including the Edwardian glass mosaic at the top of the building, a portrait of Benjamin Franklin and a large sculpture of a female figure, all designed by Charles Dickens.
The museum’s history dates back to 1875, when the Boston branch of the Boston Athenaeum was founded, and is now one of the oldest continuously operating art galleries in the city.
The collection of more than 200,000 works by Charles Babbitt, Jarryd Mott, Mark Treadwell, Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, and others are housed in two separate buildings.
They span from the 1790s through the mid-1900s.
The Crystal Bridges, which is located just outside Boston, is one of three new museum branches opening this year.
The others are located in New York and Los Angeles, and will feature a collection of historic buildings and artifacts.