Huntington to close and renovate main hall for a year

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino announced Wednesday it will close the Main Exhibition Hall on June 5. After renovation and reinstallation with "a new, dynamic permanent exhibition designed to provoke visitors’ sense of connection to history and literature," the hall will reopen in fall 2013. Treasures currently in the main hall such as the Gutenberg Bible will be moved to other galleries and remain on view. The exhibit hall was designed by architect Myron Hunt and opened in 1920. The current exhibition was designed in 1977 with only modest changes since, the Huntington says.

The drawing above of the Main Exhibition Hall is by Hunt from about 1918, the Huntington says.