A new redevelopment plan for the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston

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Buoyed by some of the largest donations in the city’s history, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will unveil a $450 million project today that envisions its campus as the cultural heart of the city.

The plan includes two new buildings designed to complement the existing structures in a way that will enhance the experience of looking at art.

The project, by Steven Holl Architects, is the most exciting in the institution’s 90-year history, board chairman Richard Kinder said. The plan, named the Fayez S. Sarofim Campus, is so transformational that in five years Houstonians might not recognize the 1000 block of Bissonnet.

It has garnered hefty donations, with lead gifts of $70 million by Sarofim; $50 million by Kinder and his wife, Nancy; and $10 million each from eight other donors.

Holl, who has offices in New York and Beijing, has re-imagined the campus’ north side as a pedestrian-friendly cultural hub with a lively landscape, two distinctive new buildings, ample underground parking and smooth circulation patterns for vehicles and people. ….