NEW YORK.- Jerome A. Chazen, Chairman of the Capital Campaign of the Museum of Arts and Design (formerly the American Craft Museum), today announced that Allied Works Architecture (http://www.alliedworks.com), led by Brad Cloepfil, has been selected to design the Museum’s new, 54,000-square-foot home at 2 Columbus Circle. Allied Works Architecture was chosen from a group of four finalists in the competition for the project after museum leadership reviewed the work of each candidate relevant to the redevelopment of Columbus Circle. The finalists also included Zaha Hadid, Toshiko Mori Architect with James Carpenter Design Associates, and Smith-Miller + Hawkinson Architects.
Allied Works Architecture has completed a number of important projects on both coasts and brings experience in the design of cultural and educational institutions that is particularly relevant to the Museum of Arts and Design. The firm received critical acclaim for its design of the new Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, MO, slated to open in the fall of 2003, and the Wieden + Kennedy Agency headquarters in Portland, OR, which also houses the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art. Cloepfil’s design team was most recently selected for the expansion of the Seattle Art Museum. The redevelopment of 2 Columbus Circle will be Mr. Cloepfil’s first institutional commission in New York City.
"Cloepfil is a truly inspired architect who brings creativity, passion, a thorough understanding of the history and mission of this institution, and sensitivity to the particularities of the building site to the project," comments Holly Hotchner, Director of the Museum. "He sparked our imagination, convincing us that he can both support and challenge us to seize this tremendous opportunity to contribute an engaging building to one of the most significant urban spaces in New York City. He will also help us transform 2 Columbus Circle into a state-of-the-art museum that serves the public through a dynamic mix of galleries, artist studios, and civic gathering spaces."
"We are a modern and contemporary museum dedicated to materials and creative processes, which are the foundation of all the arts," says Mr. Chazen. "Known for his innovative design approach and use of a wide range of materials and fabrication methods, Cloepfil’s work illustrates the continuity between art, craft, and design and resonates with the interdisciplinary and inclusive nature of our collections and programming."
"This project is also an important opportunity to reinforce our leadership role as an advocate for emerging artists, and to support new architectural talent and forms of expression," Mr. Chazen continues. "We felt strongly that Mr. Cloepfil is the right architect for this particular institution at this point in our development."
"This project is a key element in the revitalization of Columbus Circle, one of Manhattan’s most vital crossroads and an important gateway linking Midtown, the Upper West Side, and Central Park," states Laurie Beckelman, Director of the New Building Program at the Museum and former Commissioner and Chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. "As a graduate of Columbia University’s School of Architecture, Brad Cloepfil has lived and studied on the Upper West Side for several years and understands this neighborhood. Like the Museum, he is committed to both preserving and enlivening this part of the city, and to transforming Columbus Circle into a dynamic and distinguished cultural and social destination."
Allied Works Architecture will now work closely with the Museum to develop a design for 2 Columbus Circle that expresses the institution’s identity and projects its mission, meets the complex functional needs of a museum, and is sensitive to the history of the site and its urban and natural environment. The design is expected to be unveiled in early 2003. While budgets are being finalized, the Museum’s cost for purchasing and renovating the building is estimated to exceed $30 million. The earliest construction could begin late 2003.
The Museum initially invited eleven architectural firms to participate in the competition. After reviewing their proposals, the advisory committee narrowed the choice to the four finalists mentioned above. The seven other architects who presented their design ideas to the committee were:
Will Bruder Architects, ltd. (Phoenix, AZ)
Kennedy Violich Architecture (Boston, MA)
Koning Eizenberg Architecture (Santa Monica, CA)
Lake/Flato Architects, Inc. (San Antonio, TX)
Peter Marino and Associates Architects (New York, NY)
Office dA (Boston, MA)
Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture (New York, NY)
The architect advisory committee included professionals in architecture and design education, real estate development, the museum community, city planning, and business. The members of the committee were:
Laurie Beckelman, Director of the New Building Program, Museum of Arts and Design, and former Commissioner and Chair, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
Aaron Betsky, Director, Netherlands Architecture Institute; former curator of Architecture, Design & Digital Projects, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
Andre Balasz, Hotelier, The Mercer, New York City
Dr. George Campbell Jr., President, the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Jerome A. Chazen, Chief Executive Officer, Chazen Capital Partners; Board Chairman Emeritus and Chair of the Capital Campaign, Museum of Arts and Design
Douglas Durst, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Durst Organization
Holly Hotchner, Director, Museum of Arts and Design
Nanette Laitman, Board President, Museum of Arts and Design
Barbara Tober, Board Chair, Museum of Arts and Design
The architect advisory committee was chaired by Mr. Chazen and led by Ms. Beckelman.
About the New Home For The Museum
When the Museum of Arts and Design moves to Columbus Circle, its space will more than triple to 54,000 square feet in the new space from 17,000 square feet in its present location. For the first time since its founding in 1956, the Museum will be able to present and expand its permanent collection of over 1700 art objects, including ceramics, fiber, glass, metal, paper, wood, mixed media, and design -one of the most distinguished collections of its kind in the world.
"Allied Works Architecture will help us realize a beautiful yet practical building that will enable this institution to significantly enhance its service to the community," says Barbara Tober, Chair of the Board of the Museum. "The new space will allow us to build upon and extend our far-ranging schedule of exhibitions. We will also broaden our school, public, and professional outreach programs that explore art, craft, and design as overlapping and interwoven fields of creative activity."
The Museum’s programs are currently confined to active galleries, which requires the periodic closing of these galleries to general visitors. The studios and classrooms in the new facility will provide adequate space for Master Classes, Artists in Residence, and Open Studio programs. Programming will also include a greater range of lectures, seminars, decorative arts and design history courses, and workshops. In addition, the Museum will use a renovated auditorium and theater to showcase different cultural events in collaboration with New York City’s premier performing and visual arts organizations, demonstrating today’s interactions among all art forms.
The new facility will also allow the Museum to establish the Center for the Study of Arts and Design. A state-of-the-art resource for learning, it will be the first international center for the study of primary source material, conceived as a link between electronic media and information technologies and three-dimensional hand made objects.
An important cultural and educational resource to schoolchildren, families, artists, scholars, and tourists, the Museum was recently selected by The New York Economic Development Corporation (EDC), on behalf of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, to redevelop 2 Columbus Circle and add new cultural vitality to the area.
"I am pleased that from an impressive list of very talented candidates, Allied Works Architecture has been selected for this important project," said Andrew M. Alper, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the agency that selected the Museum of Art and Design, on behalf of the City, to redevelop 2 Columbus Circle. "The Museum will add a great deal to the cultural attractions and economic revitalization of the area, and Brad Cloepfil’s body of work ensures an exciting and innovative design that will bring new life to this unique building and honor its cultural past."
Designed by Edward Durell Stone in 1964, 2 Columbus Circle originally housed the former Huntington Hartford Gallery of Contemporary Art. Fairleigh Dickinson University operated the New York Cultural Center in the building from 1969-1975. In 1976, Gulf & Western Industries purchased the building and gave it to the city to serve as a visitor center and headquarters for the Cultural Affairs Department. The agency moved out in 1998 and the building remained vacant since then.