The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, in Greensburg, Penn., has received the largest donation in its history, which will go towards its endowment and capital campaign.

An $8 million grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will help support an extensive renovation that is set to take place at the Westmoreland, with groundbreaking expected to take place in early 2013.

A new wing, renovation of the existing building, a redesign of the grounds and an endowment will be funded.

This is not the first time the Richard King Mellon Foundation, or the Mellon family, have donated to the Westmoreland. They have been staunch supporters of the museum through the years, beginning with Richard King Mellon himself.

The impressive donation will get the capital campaign, which is in its early phases, off to a promising start. With almost $2 million having already been contributed by the Board of Trustees at the Westmoreland Museum, almost $10 million has been secured.

The Museum is working on the project with Ennead Architects in New York City, the same firm that Stanford University chose to design for the Anderson Collection, as well as Pittsburgh-based landscape architects, LaQuatra Bonci, whose previous work includes the Mountainlair Plaza at West Virginia University.

(Report: Christine Bolli for ARTFIXdaily)