Queens Museum Deciding On Design For Facelift

Architectural design plans to refurbish and rebuild the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park are in the final stages of approval and will be announced in the coming weeks, museum officials told The Queens Courier Tuesday.
Plans were altered late last year due to conceptual concerns regarding the first design submitted by architect Eric Owen Moss. The renovations are still in development and due to begin as scheduled.
New submissions are currently being collected and reviewed by eight prequalified architects as part of the New York City Department of Design and Construction’s (DDC) Design Excellence Program. DDC is working in conjunction with the Department of Cultural Affairs and the museum to finalize their choice for the new cultural center look.
“We expect to choose a submission within the next two months,” said Museum Director Tom Finkelpearl. “The early design had some very specific problems that couldn’t be resolved, so all parties involved chose to go in a different direction with the project.”
The ambitious undertaking has a budget of about $29.5 million. The change in design has not affected the budget or the time estimate for the project and construction is set to begin as promised within the next two years.
The first design was selected almost three years ago after an intense international competition resulting in thousands of submissions. The plans involved the conversion of the main section of the building into a large exhibition space complete with a theatre and a presentation area, a sculpture garden, and a pathway connecting the museum to the other attractions within the park.
The preliminary phase of the plan was finished but created specific schematic problems, some minor and some at loggerheads with the basic design.
“It is very important to understand the essence of a museum when you walk in,” said Finkelpearl. “You don’t want it to be too confusing for visitors.”
He added that it is common for construction plans to change when they concern a large scale project like this.
The museum is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and represents the eclectic nexus of the borough.