MUSEUMS
MUSEUM QUALITY
The new Elliott opens with a splash
The multi-level Wheels of Change exhibit at the new Elliott Museum is both state-of-the-art and old technology, using a version of Sterling Elliott’s invention,
an auto turntable, to display the antique cars and Model A Ford trucks.
BY WILLI MILLER
The first thing that grabs the attention of visitors to
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the new Elliott Museum in Stuart is the striking
expanse of glass and mineral-red exterior walls.
“The building is truly inspired by its place, the
Martin County shoreline,’” says John Curran Jr.,
vice president of Gould Evans Architects, the Tampa-based
firm brought in to design the 48,000 square-foot museum.
“Nowhere else in Florida can you find such beautiful Anastasia
limestone rock formations. It was these rocks, the shore
and the House of Refuge that inspired the colors and choice
of materials.’’
Curran says that, although a handsome, distinctive look
was important, the museum’s location demanded construction
Paul Careccia
that could withstand extremely high winds. Architectural
precast concrete was the answer. “The concrete gave
us the stability and strength we needed as well as the color
and texture of those earth tones ... .” The precast panels were
manufactured 150 miles from the site, shipped to Stuart and
attached to the building’s skeleton.
Environmental concerns were paramount in the consideration
of design features, Curran says. “We are very confident
that we will receive a Silver LEED Certification; however, we
are going for Gold and possibly Platinum. This certification
is bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Once we are
100 percent complete, we then go through a submittal and
evaluation process with the council and ultimately determine
the final level of certification.”
A significant part of the energy-conservation effort was the
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