A year ago, Hartford's venerable Wadsworth Atheneumwhich claims to be the U.S.'s oldest public museumclosed its doors to the public. It had to. Since its opening in 1844 with 53 art objects, its collection had grown to some 50,000 pieces, and in the five years before it began closing down, attendance had more than doubled to an annual total of 255,000. Expansion was desperately needed; some of the 60 staff members had been working out of converted coatrooms.
Last week the Atheneum reopened after undergoing a $4,700,000 renovation and sprouting a new wing. The new building, nondescript modern in style,...
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