Built in 1961/62 according to the plans of Wiesbaden architect Rainer Schell, the multi-purpose building with a large event hall is now a listed building. It is also a typical example of the architecture of the early 1960s, albeit of above-average quality. The reinforced concrete construction and the modular grid used are consistently visible on the inside and outside of the strictly cubist building.
The calm and restrained design of the façades continues inside and continues to impress with its simplicity and clear forms as well as the uniform materials used. Following a conversion and extension in keeping with the building's listed status, the RAUM SCHROTH was created in 2016 with the glazing of the atrium. Here, the Conceptual Art Foundation exhibits works by national and international artists.
In the Morgnersaal, the museum documents the works of the painter Wilhelm Morgner, who was considered degenerate under National Socialism, in a large permanent exhibition. Wilhelm Morgner, who was born in Soest in 1891 and died in the First World War in 1917, left behind a large number of works despite his young and short creative period. Morgner's paintings were featured in the almanac "Der Blaue Reiter", among others. 60 paintings and over 400 drawings and graphic works form the centerpiece of the museum named after him.
These works of art are shown in rotation in a permanent exhibition in the large hall. Morgner's work, which was created in the few years between 1908 and 1917, reflects the artistic development at the end of the German Empire from naturalistic painting to completely abstract compositions.
Wilhelm Morgner is regarded as a talented pioneer of modernism in Westfalen. In addition to the presentation of his expressionist oeuvre , the Wilhelm Morgner Museum also houses exhibits by well-known artists such as Otto Modersohn, Christian Rohlfs, Hans Kaiser, Franz Nölken, Arnold Topp, Eberhard Viegener, Wilhelm Wulff and many more. The City of Soest's art collection comprises more than 3,500 works by various artists who had a connection to Soest or exhibited here. Works from Soest's rich art collection and contemporary art are presented in changing exhibitions.
The Remter, located to the east of the Wilhelm Morgner Museum, was the dining hall (refectory) of the St. Patrokli collegiate monastery. It was built around 1300 and today serves as the parish hall of the provost's parish of St. Patrokli. Of the original cloister, only the north wing, built in the 12th century, and the west wing, built in the 13th century and integrated into the Remter, remain today. The south and east wings of the cloister were demolished after the abbey was dissolved in the 19th century and rebuilt on the old floor plan between 1953 and 1955.
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