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Updated: April 28, 2025

Farnsworth Art Museum expands campus with Rockland acquisition

A nighttime view of the exterior of large storefront windows. Photo / Courtesy Farnsworth Art Museum The 12,000-square-foot building at 365 Main St. will allow the Farnsworth to expand retail operations and to install much of the museum’s education galleries there.
By Laurie Schreiber

The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland acquired a three-story, 12,000-square-foot building directly across the street, at 365 Main St. 

The campus expansion will enhance the museum's retail store and its public program spaces, according to a news release.

The deal closed through a private sale with the seller, Dowling Walsh Gallery. The price was $2 million, Christopher Brownawell, the Farnsworth’s director, told Mainebiz.

Financing includes a short-term bridge loan from Camden National Bank.

With the acquisition, the museum's campus now totals roughly 72,000 square feet.

An aerial view of multiple buildings.
Photo / Courtesy Farnsworth Art Museum
Seen from the Museum Street side, the Farnsworth Art Museum’s campus expansion will enhance the museum's retail store and its public program spaces.

“The addition of this space will enable us to further enrich our educational programs and create even more opportunities for visitors to engage with the Farnsworth in meaningful ways,” said Brownawell.

The space is part of a multi-storefront building, with the addresses of 365 Main St. and 357 Main St., that together housed the Dowling Walsh Gallery since 2014. 

Dowling Walsh Gallery’s owner, Jake Dowling, said the gallery, in collaboration with Starfie Art Storage, will continue to exhibit Maine artworks at 357 Main St., and will expand operations there. Its offices and online presence will remain open year-round as usual.

The Farnsworth, dedicated to U.S.- and Maine-inspired art, has more than 16,000 works and provides educational programs. The museum opened in August 1948 and receives 75,000 visitors a year. 

The Farnsworth stretches along Main Street but has its entry at 16 Museum St. 

Tin ceilings

Locally referred to as the Burpee Block, the building dates back to the mid-19th century, Brownawell said.

“It’s an iconic building,” he said.

An exterior view of a brick building with storefront windows.
Photo / Courtesy Google Earth
The 365 Main St. part of the building is on the left side of the overall brick structure. Dowling Walsh remains at 357 Main St. on the right.

The opportunity to expand the museum’s footprint by 12,000 square feet immediately across the street made strategic sense, he said.

“Our board did our due diligence and realized it was an important opportunity for us as we set our sights on future expansion,” Brownawell said.

In the short-term, the Farnsworth’s plan is to expand retail operations into 365 Main St. and to install much of the museum’s education galleries there, where the museum’s education team will be able to showcase school projects and work collaboratively with educators and with the community on community projects.

“We’re not doing any heavy renovation,” he added. “It’s a beautiful building — old patina wood floors, tin ceilings that are exquisite — and we’ll keep that. It doesn’t need to be overthought.”

Some updates will be made to the building’s plumbing, electrical and security systems.

“We have to make some code modifications, but nothing that affects the architectural integrity of the space,” he said.

Mainly, he said, the museum will “live in” the space for a while as it continues to thinks about growth opportunities. Ultimately, the relocation of some of the museum’s services could open up gallery and community space in the main building.

The goal is to be in 365 Main St and open to the public sometime this summer, he said.

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