In 2019, David Chipperfield Architects completed the final architectural piece of Berlin’s Museum Island: the James-Simon-Galerie. At first glance, the building seems to fulfill a purely functional role—with colonnades and stairways serving as a central entrance and service hub for the surrounding historical museums. Yet its real function is more profound: as a link between cultural institutions, city space, and the public.
Address/Directions
James-Simon-Galerie
Bodestraße 1-3
10178 Berlin
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“The James-Simon-Galerie is a building and a public space at the same time. While it exists to accommodate museum functions, its true role lies in reconfiguring the spatial relationships and access points across Museum Island.”
The James-Simon-Galerie is an unusual structure. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, its client, referred to it modestly as an “entrance building.” In public discourse, it was dubbed “the world’s most expensive cloakroom”—a nod to its role in providing all the amenities missing from the five main museums: an auditorium, temporary exhibition hall, café, shop, ticketing counters, restrooms, and of course, cloakrooms.
Its function is not unlike that of the Louvre’s glass pyramid in Paris. That iconic structure channels visitors into a central hub of services. But while the Louvre’s pyramid is introverted—separating guests from the city—the bright and open James-Simon-Galerie embraces its surroundings. Its slender colonnades echo those of the neighboring classical buildings and continue their rhythm. The grand staircases and elevated plinth also resonate with the surrounding historical motifs by Schinkel, Stüler, and Messel.
A key infrastructural element is the Archaeological Promenade, which begins here and connects the museum buildings underground.
Wide staircases and spacious foyers invite visitors to wander through the building, picking up catalogs or audio guides along the way. The rooftop terrace is a highlight—especially in summer—where visitors enjoy coffee and panoramic views of Berlin: the Kupfergraben canal, the Altes Museum, the Lustgarten, and the reconstructed royal palace. Even long-time Berliners discover the city anew, framed by the rhythm of the colonnades.
This spirit of civic generosity is deliberate. The James-Simon-Galerie positions itself as a contemporary temple, a celebratory threshold between everyday life and cultural immersion.
The building’s namesake, James Simon, was a prominent Jewish art patron in Imperial Berlin. In 1920, he donated the famous bust of Nefertiti to the Egyptian Museum on Museum Island.
Architecturally, the building is pared down and precise, with clear volumes and a restrained material palette. The façades and colonnades are made of hand-sandblasted cast stone. Inside, visitors are welcomed by a glowing wall of thinly cut backlit marble and warm surfaces of walnut veneer. The door hardware, too, contributes to the atmosphere: custom-designed by David Chipperfield himself, the patinated and waxed bronze fittings from the FSB 1004 series offer an elegant tactile experience. In every detail, this is a building of quiet refinement.
