The site sits between a nineteenth-century block and a road that was never meant to carry this much traffic. Rather than argue with either, the building steps back and gives the corner away. A travertine wall carries the street line; behind it the ground opens into a court that belongs to the city before it belongs to the institution. Galleries are stacked above, lit from clerestories that face north and away from the noise. The section does the work the plan cannot: it lifts the public rooms clear of the street and lets daylight fall the full depth of the building.