Kalamazoo: Then and Now


 Kalamazoo Art Center, 421 West South Street, 1959

 

The Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, purchased the house at 421 West South Street in 1947. It would serve as the permanent home of the KIA until 1961 when the Gilmore Art Center was constructed at its present location.

Kalamazoo Public Library Photograph, P-731

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Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park Street, 2011

 

Constructed in 1961, the Gilmore Art Center has remained the home of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts for over fifty years. The layout is based on a design for a small city museum drafted by renowned architect Mies vander Rohe. A 1994 expansion increased the KIA's capacity by 40% and provided for numerous additional facilities including classrooms and an art library.

Emily Bevilacqua, Western Michigan University, School of Art, 2011

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