Contract - May 2013 - (Page 160)
On MoMA’s Plans for its Modern Neighbor
160
Until news broke in early May that The Museum
of Modern Art (MoMA) hired architecture firm Diller
Scofidio + Renfro to design its expansion and
explore the possibility of incorporating the adjacent
former American Folk Art Museum into the
expansion, MoMA was set to bulldoze the building
that it now owns on West 53rd Street in New York.
As I outlined in my editorial (page 22), the building
(pictured here), designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien
Architects, had been initially considered by MoMA
to be too cramped for use as part of the modern
art museum.
The outcry against MoMA’s initial demolition
plan was swift and overwhelming. More than 30
leading architects and designers, under the auspices
of The Architectural League, including Robert A.M.
Stern, Steven Holl, Thom Mayne, Richard Meier,
and Michael Bierut, signed an open letter to MoMA
calling for it to reconsider its decision because it
had “not yet offered a compelling justification
for the cultural and environmental waste of
destroying this much-admired, highly distinctive
12-year-old building.”
Ironically, Williams and Tsien were finalists
in the last architect selection process for a MoMA
expansion that Yoshio Taniguchi ultimately won.
Also ironically, MoMA board chair Jerry I. Speyer
owns a townhouse designed by Williams and Tsien.
MoMA should not destroy the folk art building.
Instead, MoMA should embrace it as a work of art
that contains beautiful gallery spaces feasible for
continued use. Contract highly encourages Diller
Scofidio + Renfro to fully consider its reuse.
Anything less would be a shame. —john czarnecki
contractdesign.com
may 2013
pHoTogRApHY: MIcHAeL MoRAN/oTTo (LeFT); JoHN czARNeckI (RIgHT)
coMMeNTARY
http://www.contractdesign.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - May 2013
Contract - May 2013
Contents
Editorial
Industry News
Columnist: Attending NeoCon® to Enhance the Knowledge Base of You and Your Client
Exhibition: GlobalShop 2013
Exhibition: Coverings 2013
Exhibition: Salone Internazionale de Mobile
Product Focus: Midcentury Made Modern
Product Focus: Uninterrupted Workflow
NeoCon® preview
BBC North
Paul Hastings Atlanta
3M Headquarters
Federal Center South Building 1202
Adobe
Atlassian II
An interview with Vijay Kumar, author of 101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization
Designers Select: Office
Sources
Ad Index
Commentary: On MoMA’s Plans for its Modern Neighbor
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