NEW YORK, NY.- Pace Gallery announced plans for a major redevelopment of their flagship Chelsea gallery under a long-term agreement with Weinberg Properties. Located in the heart of Manhattan’s Chelsea Art District at 540 West 25th Street, Pace’s new home is being developed by Weinberg Properties and designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Studio, who in coordination with Pace’s President Marc Glimcher, have conceived an exciting design c oncept that reimagines the conventional functionality of a contemporary art gallery.
“The last ten years have seen incredible changes in the art world as creative communities from different parts of the world have started to connect. Now it’s time for the art galleries to change too. This new building gives us the chance to reimagine what we are all about and that’s exactly what we plan to do,” says Glimcher.
Samuel Weinberg, President and CEO of Weinberg Properties, says, “It has always been our vision to develop this property into a state-of-the-art commercial building geared towards the art industry, along with our desire to maintain our long-standing relationship with the Glimcher family. The timing is right for both of us, and we look forward to creating something very special and unique where Pace can continue to thrive as one of the world’s premier art galleries.”
Once complete, the new eight-story building will measure approximately 60,000 square feet, of which Pace will occupy 40,000 square feet of both indoor and outdoor space spread across five floors, effectively increasing their current footprint by 30,000 square feet. Bonetti/Kozerski’s interior design features expansive column-free galleries on the first and second floors and a combination of gallery and multi-use event spaces, private offices and viewing rooms on the third, seventh and eighth floors. The ground floor space will feature a public library showcasing Pace’s extensive collection of more than 10,000-catalogued volumes and a 5,000 square foot gallery with 20’ ceilings for rotating exhibitions. A spiral staircase will lead visitors to the second floor, which boasts 4,200 square feet of exhibition space, an adjacent 1,000 square-foot terrace, and an open storage system for artworks that were p reviously accessible only through private viewing, a feature largely inspired by the recent trend of several major public institutions around the country. Pace will also have access to a 6,000 square-foot outdoor gallery on the sixth floor that can accommodate large-scale sculpture and which offers sweeping panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline.
“The building fits into the historical Chelsea context but aims to bridge the gap from a traditional art gallery to a more open and accessible model of art display and engagement. The cast-in-place concrete structure with a terracotta façade is articulated into a variety of exhibition spaces including a landscaped roof terrace that is visually connected to the High Line and surmounted by an elevated metal clad double story penthouse gallery,” remarked Bonetti/Kozerski Studio.
Construction on 540 West 25th Street is scheduled to begin in December 2015 with an expected completion date of fall 2017. During this time, Pace will continue to present exhibitions at its other Manhattan locations: 32 East 57th Street, 508 West 25th Street and 510 West 25th Street, as well as in London, Beijing and Hong Kong.
