Campus
The James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center
Learn about PEM’s 120,000-square-foot Hawkes Collection Center in Rowley, Massachusetts.
The Collection Center isn’t just storage — it’s where museum magic happens. Conservation, cleaning, pest protection, photography, documentation and research are all taking place in this state-of-the-art facility.
PEM is engaged in a multi-year project to move the entire collection (not including works on display in the museum) to the James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center. This consolidation will unify, preserve and protect the more than 850,000 works of art and culture in PEM's collection, representing more than 12,000 years of global artistic and cultural creativity.
The Hawkes Collection Center is also home to the entirety of PEM’s Phillips Library: several hundred thousand books and over a linear mile of archival material. The 30,000-square-foot library research facility provides vital protection and preservation of the collections as well as a Digitization and Photography Studio, staff offices and a Reading Room, which is open to the public.
Longtime museum supporters James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes made a generous donation in 2023 that supports the museum’s efforts to house, care for and improve access to its collection.
Interested in learning more? Members are invited to participate in guided tours of the Collection Center. Explore our membership levels and join today!
Follow us on social media @peabodyessex for object spotlights and updates on the ongoing collection move.
Image Requests
Request an image or additional information about PEM collection objects.
Loan Requests
Learn how to request a loan from PEM’s collection.
Donating to PEM’s Collection
PEM’s collection is vast, but we continue to acquire works of art that help fulfill the museum’s mission.
Accessing PEM’s Collection
Address
James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center
306 Newburyport Turnpike
Rowley, MA 01969
Please be advised that PEM has begun a multiyear collection moving project to the James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes Collection Center, a state-of-the-art, 120,000-square-foot facility in Rowley, Massachusetts. Due to the magnitude of the project and the significant demands on staff members, PEM has suspended collection access until July 1, 2026.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may cause, and we thank you for your patience and understanding as we embark on a comprehensive upgrade to PEM’s collection storage and access.
During this time, access to PEM’s Phillips Library Reading Room remains open to researchers and the general public. Learn more and plan your visit at pem.org/visit/library.
Keep exploring
Press Release
PEM Collection Center enhanced by generous donation from philanthropists James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes
Blog
Conserving barkcloth and its meaning
9 min read
Blog
Mission Impossible: The great collection move of 2018
7 Min Read
Visit
Phillips Library
