Cities Issue 07 · Autumn 2026 1 min read
The ivy and the museum
A museum facade that has disappeared under ivy, and the gardeners who decide how much of it to keep.
From the square the museum looks like a hill with windows. The ivy was planted in the 1930s to soften a new wing; it has since taken the old one too.
Twice a year a team of gardeners cuts it back from the windows and the gutters, and leaves the rest. Their rule is simple: the ivy can have the walls, but not the openings.
Inside, the galleries on the east side are noticeably cooler in summer. The curators have stopped complaining.
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