The Hermitage Museum & Gardens sits on a 12.5-acre peninsula extending into the Lafayette River in Norfolk’s historic Lochhaven neighborhood. Once the estate of William and Florence Sloane—prominent New Yorkers who arrived in the region in 1893 to operate textile mills—it is now an American Alliance of Museums (AAM) accredited and Smithsonian-affiliated museum. The museum houses works spanning over 5,000 years and is recognized for its contemporary exhibitions, site-specific interactive installations and sculpture programs, and immersive performance experiences, both indoors and throughout the grounds.
In 2019, WPA was engaged to develop the museum’s Master Site Plan (MSP), a document guiding strategic planning for the next decade. A series of listening sessions gathered input from a wide range of stakeholders, community leaders, and constituents, culminating in the plan’s presentation and approval by the board. The MSP outlines key efforts to protect, preserve, and enhance all aspects of the museum
and its grounds, including its historic structures housing the Sloane family’s art and artifact collection, its educational venues such as the Visual Arts School (VAS), its living collection of historic plantings and trees, and its tidal wetlands. As stated in the Strategic Plan, “this wide-ranging vision for the campus of the future offers the visual tools needed to reengage current members and constituencies while enlightening new audiences to [its] possibilities and potential.”
Many aspects of the MSP have been completed or are underway, with a primary focus on enhancing the visitor experience. Projects include restoration and improvements to the historic Sloane family residence, renovation of the Visual Arts School (VAS) and surrounding landscape, new pedestrian pathways, enhanced views of the Lafayette River, repair of the historic bulkhead at the south lawn, and living shoreline and wetlands restoration on the east and west sides of the property. Later phases will include the renovation of the Water Tower Building, new boardwalk construction, expanded wayfinding and interpretive signage, front entrance improvements, upgraded interior and site lighting for safety and accessibility, a new garden shed, museum building upgrades for systems and storage, fortifications for south lawn resilience, and landscape and parking improvements for the front lawn.
