A Modern Home for Ancient Peace.

The article reports that the Ara Pacis, an altar dedicated to peace brought by Roman Emperor Augustus in the ninth century, has a new museum home. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier unveiled the museum located on the banks of the Tiber, in central Rome. The first work of modern architecture to grace this ancient city in at least 50 years, the sleek and modern forms sparked controversy even before they became a reality. Commissioned to replace the previous Fascist-era building in 1995, Meier was faced with Italian critics immediately lambasting his design. National jealousies aside, the nearly finished museum is garnering praise along with the realization that a new building was needed. The glass, concrete and travertine structure is located on the Piazza Augusto Imperatore in central Rome.