Preservationists licked in lollipop building battle.The Museum of Arts & Design won an arduous battle this week, as the State's Appellate Court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court. An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed. overruled objections to its plan to redevelop 2 Columbus Circle Columbus Circle, named for Christopher Columbus, is a major landmark and point of attraction in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Completed in 1905 and renovated a century later, it is located at the intersection of Broadway, Central Park West, Central Park South (59th to serve as its new home. For the past several years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time Museum has been unable to move forward with the project because of opposition from art preservationists. Designed in the 1960's by Edward Durrell Edward Durrell (1910s - early 1980s) was an industrialist at Milton Valley Farm in Clarke County, Virginia and served as the board chairman for the Union Fork and Hoe Company. Stone, 2 Columbus Circle is considered to be one of the oddest structures in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of because of its lollipop-shaped columns and lack of windows. Even those who consider it amusing rather than ugly don't argue that the building has inherent aesthetic value. "The building feels to me like a valued but slightly dimwitted dim·wit n. Slang A stupid person. dim  witted adj. friend," architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, noted last year
during a public forum on 2 Columbus Circle's fate.
Nevertheless, a group of activists called Landmark West! has repeatedly tried to stop any changes to the structure, first nominating the building for landmark status with the City's Landmarks Commission, then filing a lawsuit against the City government because it did not follow proper procedures during the sale of the property to the Museum. The group has also tried to file a grievance with the Manhattan Borough Board, claiming there was not enough public notice during the review of the sale. All filings, however, have been dismissed. Now, the Museum is ready to go ahead with the renovation as soon as the ink on the deal is dry. 2 Columbus Circle won't be demolished--"It's a very complicated project and it sits over subway lines, and [a renovation] was easier to move forward with, although there is nothing easy about building in New York," said Laurie Beckelman, director of the new building program with the museum. Instead, architect Brad Clopefil, of allied works architecture, will completely renovate the structure, giving it a new terra cotta cot·ta n. pl. cot·tae or cot·tas A short surplice. [Medieval Latin, of Germanic origin.] facade and windows. The museum expects that the project will cost approximately $30 million. "We are ready to get the building from the city and then, I can't give you an exact date, but I would say we would start later on this year and will be finished within two years," Beckelman said. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the Museum plans to put its current building at 40 W. 53rd St. up for sale. The purchase of 2 Columbus Circle, which has been vacant for a number of years, has cost the institution $17 million. |
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