Construction has begun on the Albany Museum of Art’s new downtown home at the former Belk Department Store on West Broad Avenue.

LRA Constructors, Inc., the project’s general contractor, has begun clearing the interior of the 58,000-square-foot, two-story building at 126 and 140 W. Broad Ave. The work marks the beginning of a construction process expected to take up to 24 months.

“Passing pedestrians and motorists will notice increasing construction activity at the downtown site,” AMA Executive Director Andrew James Wulf, Ph.D., said. “After years of planning, fundraising, and working through the complexities of a project of this scale, it’s enormously gratifying to see the work begin.  There is something wonderfully exciting about taking a building that was once such an important part of downtown Albany’s commercial life and giving it an entirely new purpose. And now, that transformation is underway.”

The $35 million project will transform the former department store into a museum featuring expanded exhibition galleries, spaces for art education, artist studios, a café, and an outdoor sculpture garden. The new facility will also accommodate performances and community gatherings. Admission to the museum will remain free.

The project is supported by $4 million in funding from the City of Albany, $3 million from Dougherty County, a $3 million commitment from the Bunzl Foundation, contributions from private foundations and individual donors, and historic rehabilitation tax credits. The museum's capital campaign continues as construction moves forward.

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 18, 2026, marking the launch of the public phase of the Capital Campaign.

The AMA relocation began taking shape in the summer of 2019, when the Robert N. Brooks, Sr. family generously donated the downtown building to the museum. Shortly after that gift was made, DLR Group, a national design firm based in Washington, D.C., assessed the building, created a master plan for using the new space, ensured that historical preservation requirements were met, and reviewed the extent of grant and tax credit opportunities that could be used in the project.

The project is expected to have direct and indirect economic impacts totaling $5 million annually when completed and has already brought environmental improvements to the downtown site. In 2020, hazardous waste and petroleum contamination associated with a previous use of the property were addressed through an EPA Brownfields cleanup grant.

One of the first signs of things to come occurred in 2021 when a former auto supply store and later dance studio at the southwest corner of Broad Avenue and Washington Street was razed. That area will be an outdoor sculpture garden when the new museum opens.

In December 2025, the AMA hired Aaron & Clements, of Columbus, Ga., to represent the museum throughout the project delivery process. In January 2026, the AMA named LRA Constructors, Inc., as the general contractor.

Wulf said that while construction progresses downtown, the AMA will continue to have a full schedule of art exhibitions, programs, and events at the museum’s current home, 311 Meadowlark Drive adjacent to Albany State University’s West Campus.

"We are deeply grateful to the families, foundations, businesses, and public officials who have helped us reach this point," Wulf said. "Our fundraising campaign continues, and there are still many opportunities for people to become involved. But today, I think it's worth celebrating just how far we've come.

"I've always believed that a museum should be much more than a place where works of art are displayed. It should be a place where people feel welcome, where children discover things that they didn't know existed, where artists and ideas have room to flourish, and where a community can come together. That's what we want to create downtown, and after all these years, I'm delighted that we're finally building it."

UPCOMING AMA EXHIBITIONS

• Artifacts of a Fate That Never Was, works by O.M. Norling, is Sept 17, 2026-Jan 2, 2027, in the East and Hodges Galleries.
• New York Origins: Building a Collection is Sept 17, 2026-Jan 2, 2027, in the Haley Gallery.
• Woven, Dyed, Sewn: Textiles from the Sub-Saharan African Collection is Sept 17, 2026-Jan 2, 2027, in the McCormack Gallery.
• Twenty Portraits, from the Permanent Collection, is Sept 17-Oct 24, 2026, in the West Gallery.