2 Columbus Circle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2 Columbus Circle |
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| General information | |
| Status | Open |
| Type | Museum |
| Address | 2 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019 |
| Town or city | New York City |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°46′02.5″N 73°58′55″W / 40.767361°N 73.98194°W |
| Current tenants | Museum of Arts and Design |
| Groundbreaking | 1960 |
| Opened | March 21, 1964 |
| Renovated | 2005–2008 |
| Client | Huntington Hartford |
| Landlord | Museum of Arts and Design |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Concrete bearing wall |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Edward Durell Stone Brad Cloepfil (new facade) |
| Structural engineer | Cosentini Associates |
The building at 2 Columbus Circle is a nine-story building in New York City. It sits on the south side of Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan. This building has had a few names over the years, including the Gallery of Modern Art and the New York Cultural Center.
It was first designed by Edward Durell Stone in a modern style for Huntington Hartford. He was an heir to the A&P supermarket company. In the 2000s, the building was updated by Brad Cloepfil. Since 2008, it has been home to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD).
The outside walls are made of strong concrete. These walls also help support the concrete floors inside. The first design had white marble walls with small, round windows. It also had open areas called loggias at the bottom and top. Today, the outside has special terracotta panels and large glass windows at the top. The lower floors are used for the museum, and the upper floors are offices.
The building opened on March 21, 1964. It had some money problems for a few years. Fairleigh Dickinson University took over in 1969 and renamed it the New York Cultural Center. This center closed in 1975. Later, the building was given to the New York City government. After some debate about its future, the Museum of Arts and Design renovated it from 2005 to 2008.
Contents
About the Building's Location
2 Columbus Circle is located on the south side of Columbus Circle in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building takes up a whole city block. This block is bordered by Broadway to the east, 58th Street to the south, Eighth Avenue to the west, and Columbus Circle to the north.
The building's shape is a bit unusual because of the curved street. It is near famous places like Central Park and other tall buildings. You can also find entrances to the New York City Subway's 59th Street–Columbus Circle station nearby.
Long ago, in the late 1800s, this area was known for fancy hotels and apartment buildings. A seven-story hotel called the Grand Circle Hotel stood here from 1874. By the 1950s, it was an office building.
How the Building Looks
The building was designed by Edward Durell Stone for Huntington Hartford. It was first a nine-story building with a modern look. Its outside walls are made of reinforced concrete. This material was chosen because it was more flexible to build with than steel. The concrete walls also act as load-bearing walls, holding up the floors inside.
Original Design
The first outside walls were mostly made of white marble. Most of these marble panels did not have windows. There were small, round windows only at the corners and on the top floor. These windows were designed to be very small, like portholes on a ship. Each window had a bronze frame and could swing open.
The sidewalk around the building was reddish-brown. It had marble circles set into it. The bottom of the building had an open walkway with 27 concrete columns, like a fancy Italian palace. Above this walkway were decorative circles made of red and green marble. The top two floors also had open walkways.
New Design
The current outside, designed by Brad Cloepfil, keeps the building's original shape. However, the open walkways at the top, the round windows, and the marble panels were removed. The open walkway at the bottom was kept but enclosed with a tall glass wall. Cloepfil did not like the original design, calling it "frightening."
The new outside is made of special white terracotta panels. These panels are separated by deep lines. They look sparkly in the sunlight and seem to change color during the day. Behind these panels are horizontal openings with glass strips. These glass strips and lines create a zigzag pattern on the building. There are also large glass panels at the top floors, letting in lots of light.
The museum's board wanted more windows near the top. This created an "H" shape on one side and an "I" shape on another. From a certain angle, it looked like the building spelled "HI."
Inside the Building
The building originally had about 60,000 square feet of space. The elevators only stopped on every other floor. There were also emergency stairs. These stairs had wide landings that created small extra levels called mezzanines. These mezzanines had smaller display rooms and even smoking lounges. The Gallery of Modern Art once had a huge organ on a mezzanine above the second floor.
When the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) moved in, the mezzanines were removed. Each main floor was made much larger. The old emergency stairs were taken out, and a new staircase was built around the elevators. The inside spaces are lit by glass channels and glass columns, which let natural light shine through. A six-story staircase was also added along the Broadway side.
Museum Spaces
When it was the Gallery of Modern Art, the museum had galleries on the second through fifth floors. There were 14 galleries in total. The main gallery on each floor faced Columbus Circle. The walls were covered with gray-blue fabric and wood, and the floors had fancy wooden patterns.
After the 2000s renovation, MAD now has four floors of galleries, covering about 14,000 square feet. This is twice the size of their old museum space. This larger space allows MAD to show its permanent collection and host many temporary exhibits at the same time.
Other Spaces
In the basement, there was a 154-seat auditorium. This auditorium, now called the Mark Goodson Theater, is the only part of the original design that was kept during the renovation. MAD rents out this auditorium for events.
The main entrance area, or lobby, was made bigger during the renovation. A museum store for MAD was added on the ground floor.
The Gallery of Modern Art's offices were on the sixth floor, and storage was on the seventh. When MAD moved in, these floors became art studios, event spaces, and classrooms. One floor is just for educational programs.
The eighth floor originally had a cocktail lounge. The ninth floor had a restaurant called the Gauguin Room, which served Polynesian food and had a large outdoor terrace. This restaurant space was updated in the mid-2000s. It reopened as Robert in 2009, serving American food. It has 138 seats and can be reached without going through the museum.
Building History
How the Building Was Planned and Built
Planning and Early Issues
In June 1956, Huntington Hartford announced his plans for a 10-story Gallery of Modern Art. It would show his art collection and have shops and a rooftop garden. Hartford bought the land for almost $1 million. He thought the museum would cost $1.5 million and be ready by 1958.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) tried to stop Hartford from using the name "Gallery of Modern Art" in 1959. But Hartford was allowed to keep the name. Construction was delayed because a shoe store tenant refused to leave. The store finally moved out in February 1960.
Construction Work
Hartford bought many artworks for the new museum. This included a large painting by Salvador Dalí. He wanted his gallery to show a different view of modern art.
The outside of the museum was finished by January 1962. By then, the cost had grown to $5 million. The small building site made construction slow. The project engineer said it was like "making a watch out of concrete" because of its unusual shape. The total cost reached $7.4 million, much more than planned.
Museum Use Over Time
Gallery of Modern Art
The Gallery of Modern Art opened to the public on March 21, 1964. It had 3,358 visitors on its first day. The museum showed works by artists like Salvador Dalí. It also hosted film screenings and photography exhibits.
However, the museum quickly faced money problems. It didn't have enough visitors to cover its costs. Hartford tried to get universities to help fund it, but they weren't interested. He started selling parts of his art collection. In 1966, he offered to give the building to Fordham University, but they were worried about the mortgage.
New York Cultural Center
In July 1969, Hartford gave the building to Fairleigh Dickinson University. The Gallery of Modern Art was renamed the New York Cultural Center. Hartford also gave money to the university to help run the museum.
The Cultural Center hosted many shows and events. Its director, Mario Amaya, helped increase daily visitors. The basement auditorium also started hosting plays.
In October 1974, Fairleigh Dickinson University said it would no longer run the Cultural Center due to rising costs. The museum closed on September 14, 1975.
New York City Government Use
In December 1976, Gulf and Western Industries bought 2 Columbus Circle. They then donated it to the government of New York City. The plan was to turn it into offices for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) and the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The city government announced in May 1979 that these departments would move in. The building officially became city offices in November 1980. The DCLA used four floors, and the Visitors Bureau had an information booth and offices.
The city also opened the City Gallery on the second floor in April 1981. It showed art by New Yorkers. The building's small size was still a challenge for its users. In the 1990s, the city gained full control of the building, meaning it no longer had to be used only for cultural purposes.
Selling and Redeveloping the Building
Early Efforts to Sell
By 1995, the city government wanted to sell or lease the building to a private company. In 1996, the building was considered old enough to be named a city landmark. However, a city committee decided not to make it a landmark.
In 1997, the city received seven proposals for the site. Most wanted to renovate the building. The Dahesh Museum of Art wanted to turn it back into a museum. Developer Donald Trump wanted to tear it down and build a hotel. Many people supported the Dahesh Museum's plan.
Choosing a Developer
In March 2000, the city asked for new bids for 2 Columbus Circle. They wanted to replace the building entirely. Many people who cared about old buildings still wanted it to be a landmark.
In June 2002, the city announced it would sell the building to the American Craft Museum. This museum later became the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD). MAD planned to spend at least $30 million on renovations. They chose four architectural firms to propose new designs.
Museum of Arts and Design Use
Renovation Work
In June 2005, the city approved plans for renovations. MAD bought the building in October 2005. The project faced several legal challenges, which increased its cost.
Work on the building started. Most of the old marble outside was removed by April 2006. By mid-2007, the outside marble and round windows were gone.
Reopening and Use
MAD opened its new home at 2 Columbus Circle on September 27, 2008. The building was renamed the Jerome and Simona Chazen Building. The restaurant on the ninth floor, called Robert, opened in December 2009.
Because of its great location, MAD had 500,000 visitors in 2009. This was much more than they expected. As of 2021, MAD still uses 2 Columbus Circle. The restaurant and gift shop help the museum earn money.
Images for kids
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The building's original exterior, photographed in 2005
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Seen from across Columbus Circle
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Eastward view of Columbus Circle from the Deutsche Bank Center. Seen from left to right are 240 Central Park South, 220 Central Park South (under construction), One57 (in the background), and 2 Columbus Circle.
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2 Columbus Circle with its new facade, February 2011
See Also
In Spanish: 2 Columbus Circle para niños
