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# VMFA will add a new cafe facing Grove Ave. as part of upcoming expansion
- URL: https://www.richmonder.org/vmfa-will-add-a-new-cafe-facing-grove-ave-as-part-of-upcoming-expansion/
- Published: 2026-01-21T03:06:30.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-21T03:06:30.000Z
- Description: New renderings show what the five-story building will look like when completed.
- Author: Michael Phillips
- Tags: Local News

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts unveiled renderings of its expansion project, the museum's largest ever, on Tuesday night.

The renderings, available in full [on the museum's website](https://www.vmfa.museum/visit/expansion), were presented during a virtual "State of the Museum" address.

Among the additions will be a new restaurant, the museum's fourth, with an entrance facing Grove Ave.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/2026/01/F_BTB_SMITH_GROUP_VMFA_02_NW_NORTH-1.jpg)

A view of the new wing from the museum's courtyard. (SmithGroup and Beauty & The Bit)

The new wing, which was originally slated for a 2025 opening, has been pushed back to 2029\. Director Alex Nyerges [told the Times-Dispatch](https://richmond.com/life-entertainment/local/art-theater/article%5F2786aff1-4555-454f-9257-3deea98617de.html) the museum wanted to focus on getting it right rather than worrying about a schedule.

Nyerges told the newspaper the new restaurant will be bistro-style, a mix between the upscale Amuse and the Best Cafe's cafeteria format.

"It will have a bar, music, open at night," he said. "It will be something really special with the wall of glass overlooking the garden."

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/2026/01/F_BTB_SMITH_GROUP_VMFA_11_EVENT_SPACE_FLOWING.jpg)

A fifth-floor event space will accommodate 500 seated guests. (SmithGroup and Beauty & The Bit)

At five stories high, the new wing will overlook the museum's sculpture garden and courtyard.

The total cost for the expansion was previously announced at $261 million.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/06/99067822-fdfd-42b1-ab19-555c33eefb89/content/images/2026/01/F_BTB_SMITH_GROUP_VMFA_09_LOOKING_WEST.jpg)

The renderings show open floor plans and suspended staircases. (SmithGroup and Beauty & The Bit)

"These design plans envision an architectural expression of VMFA's ongoing commitment to being an open, dynamic space that welcomes all," according to the museum's website.

The VMFA expects to break ground on the expansion this summer.

*Contact Michael Phillips at* [*mphillips@richmonder.org*](mailto:mphillips@richmonder.org)*.*

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