The American Folk Art Museum by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien opened in 2001 to wide acclaim, thanks, in part, to its distinctive faceted, bronze façade.
But just 12 years after opening the building, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) plans to demolish the structure to make way for an expansion that will more seamlessly connect with adjacent MoMA buildings on the MoMA campus in Manhattan, according to the New York Times.
In 2011, MoMA purchased the building from the struggling folk art museum, which was millions in debt due to lower-than-expected attendance and investment losses stemming from the recent recession.
Museum officials claim that because the building is set back farther than the other buildings on the property, the floors cannot be aligned. In addition, its solid façade does not meld with the mostly all-glass enclosures on the museum campus.
In an interview with NYT, Tsien said she was "really disappointed" by the announcement and called the move a "loss for architecture," especially because the building is an increasingly rare example of a small yet well-crafted structure.
(http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/arts/design/moma-to-raze-ex-american-folk-art-museum-building.html?_r=1&)
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 10 Telecommunications Building Architecture Firms for 2023
Arcadis North America, CSArch, Interior Architects, and TETER top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest telecommunications building architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 50 Public Library Architecture Firms for 2023
Quinn Evans, McMillan Pazdan Smith, PGAL, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Gensler top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest public library architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 60 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Architecture Firms for 2023
Populous, DLR Group, Gensler, HGA, and Perkins Eastman top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 70 Museum Architecture Firms for 2023
SmithGroup, Gensler, Ayers Saint Gross, Quinn Evans, HGA, and Cooper Robertson head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest museum and gallery architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Architects | Feb 8, 2024
LPA President Dan Heinfeld announced retirement
LPA Design Studios announced the upcoming retirement of longtime president Dan Heinfeld, who led the firm’s growth from a small, commercial development-focused architecture studio into a nation-leading integrated design practice setting new standards for performance and design excellence.
Market Data | Feb 7, 2024
New download: BD+C's February 2024 Market Intelligence Report
Building Design+Construction's monthly Market Intelligence Report offers a snapshot of the health of the U.S. building construction industry, including the commercial, multifamily, institutional, and industrial building sectors. This report tracks the latest metrics related to construction spending, demand for design services, contractor backlogs, and material price trends.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2024
Top 80 Religious Facility Architecture Firms for 2023
Parkhill, FGM Architects, GFF, Gensler, and HOK top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest religious facility architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Modular Building | Feb 6, 2024
Modular fire station allows for possible future reconfigurations
A fire station in Southern California leveraged prefab, modular construction for faster completion and future reconfiguration.
Giants 400 | Feb 5, 2024
Top 30 Entertainment Center, Cineplex, and Theme Park Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, JLL, Nelson Worldwide, AO, and Stantec top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest entertainment center, cineplex, and theme park architecture and architecture engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in the 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Urban Planning | Feb 5, 2024
Lessons learned from 70 years of building cities
As Sasaki looks back on 70 years of practice, we’re also looking to the future of cities. While we can’t predict what will be, we do know the needs of cities are as diverse as their scale, climate, economy, governance, and culture.
