MoMA To Tear Down New Building.

[N2NH]

For a few years while the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was given (free) an unused city building in nearby queens while the new wing was built. This new building is now slated to be torn down...

“It’s very rare that a building that recent comes down, especially a building that was such a major design and that got so much publicity when it opened for its design — mostly very positive,” said Andrew S. Dolkart, the director of Columbia University’s historic preservation program. “The building is so solid looking on the street, and then it becomes a disposable artifact. It’s unusual and it’s tragic because it’s a notable work of 21st century architecture by noteworthy architects who haven’t done that much work in the city, and it’s a beautiful work with the look of a handcrafted facade.”
MoMA officials said the building’s design did not fit their plans because the opaque facade is not in keeping with the glass aesthetic of the rest of the museum. The former folk museum is also set back farther than MoMA’s other properties, and the floors would not line up.

After they opened this wing, the price of admission went up drastically. Now, because of aesthtics, they no longer find the wing usable. I'd seriously be thinking before I'd re-up as a member.

12-Year-Old Building at MoMA Is Doomed

[PA5COR]

That's why you can't have nice things, and even if you get them they are taken away...

[W3WN]

I'm sorry, but I'm confused.

The linked story I just read said that MoMA had bought a DIFFERENT art museum's building (that other museum has since relocated elsewhere), that happened to be next door. ONe that had been built 12 years ago (hardly new, even my Manhatten standards). And that MoMA's staff had decided that this building didn't meet their needs, architecturally speaking, so they were going to demolish it and build a new wing that matched their existing designs.

Are we talking about the same thing here?

[KG4CGC]

Says it's set back further. Simply built a facade that matches both style and placement. Dumbasses.

[W3WN]

Well, it's their money to waste.

Thing is, it's not like this is all that unusual an event in NYC.

Back when the family still lived in NNJ, we'd be in Greenwich Village twice a year for the Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibitiion, aka Greenwich Village Art Show. There was a big scandal... at least to those who didn't actually live in the city... regarding a small children's play park. The city had just spent a small fortune (for the time) rehabbing the park, new equipment, new seats for the parents, safer surface material in case anyone fell. After all the money, they opened the new park to great fanfare.

With a caveat... you only had about a month to enjoy it. Seems that the MTA was doing subway construction in the area, and they were going to have to tear down the entire parklet to do whatever it was they had to do. With no plans to replace anything, wasn't in the budget. And most residents shrugged and said "That's Gracie Mansion for you"

[n2ize]

For a few years while the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was given (free) an unused city building in nearby queens while the new wing was built. This new building is now slated to be torn down...

MoMA is not the "Metropolitan Museum of Art", MOMA the "Museum of Modern Art" ?

In other words MoMA is the museum that has all the crap contemporary art that even I could create even if I was stone drunk. The Metropolitan Museam of Art is the one that has the good art exhibits that were created by the
real artists who were worthy of the name "artists",

[kb2vxa]

It wouldn't be the first time NYC tore down a perfectly useful building and a beautiful historic landmark at that. Case in point; Penn Station (1910-1963), they soon sorely regretted it. Today's New York Penn at 2 Penn Plaza opposite Madison Square Garden (1 Penn Plaza) may be functional but lacks grandeur characteristic of railway stations of the era. Now we have one more yo MoMA joke to add to the collection as Yo Yo Ma performs at Lincoln Center.

Oh, for those of you who have never been there the photo is a bit deceptive from this elevated angle. Between the buildings isn't a city street, all those yellow bugs are taxis standing in the waiting area. Just to the right is a covered platform outside the building on the second floor, through the doors and down the stair you're on the main concourse. Below that are the train platforms in a dimly lit, rather spooky dungeon and for those of you going to New Jersey NJT is always on Track 4 so you never have to ask and nearby tracks are for Amtrak. Off in another direction is another dungeon better lit with quaint shops and ticket windows lining the main corridor leading to the Long Island Railroad. All trains go past Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard in Queens on their way to Jamaica, the hub of the whole railroad and split off from there.