The 74,000-square foot Glass Pavilion opened in August 2006 to considerable critical acclaim. ArtNet described it as "a striking symbol of cultural power. Intended to give pride of place to the institution’s collection of art glass." In his review for "The New York Times", Nicolai Ouroussoff wrote, "Composed with exquisite delicacy, the pavilion's elegant maze of curved glass walls represents the latest monument to evolve in a chain extending back to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles." Ouroussoff commented on the pavilion's relationship with the museum's other buildings: "The Glass Pavilion is part of a loosely knit complex that includes the Beaux-Arts-style art museum here and the University of Toledo’s Center for the Visual Arts, designed by Frank Gehry. With its grand staircase leading up to a row of Ionic columns, the original museum is both a temple to art and a monument to the belief in high culture’s ability to uplift the life of the worker. The new structure’s low, horizontal form, fits in this context with remarkable delicacy, as if the architects hesitated to disturb the surroundings." The Pavilion is host to 700 public glass blowing exhibitions per year, as well as cutting edge community events such as (Re)New Year’s Days, a one-of-a-kind experience inspired by art, yoga, movement, and meditation, and Art of the Cut, a celebration of Black barbers and their roles as artists and men’s wellness advocates that was sponsored by ProMedica.