Rodin Museum Courtyard and Grounds Restoration

Architects Paul Cret and Jacques Gréber were commissioned by Jules Mastbaum in the late 1920s to design a neoclassical Beaux Arts building and formal garden on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to house an extensive collection of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) sculptures. It was Gréber who did the master plan for the Fairmount Parkway (1917), a design inspired by the Paris Champs Elysées.

Under the direction of OLIN landscape architects, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmount Park Commission and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society collaborated on a $7.4 million three year restoration of the Rodin Museum courtyard and grounds. The museum, between 21 and 22nd Street, is part of a multi-million dollar project to rejuvenate the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The museum and grounds hold one of the largest Rodin sculpture collections in the world. The gates to the restored building and space fittingly opened to the public on Bastille Day, July 14, 2011.

The landscape architects worked to maintain the spirit of the original plans. The fountain is still the central outdoor element and is bordered by large walkways. The Meudon Gate, the main entry to the courtyard, was restored, and the paved entry plaza, where "The Thinker" sits and contemplates, was also upgraded. The garden, described as “enclosing and embracing,” now represents more indigenous species. Accessible paths cut through the landscape and connect to the Parkway.

The museum will close for interior renovations in September, reopening in spring 2012, but people will still be able to stroll the gardens and see the outdoor sculptures.