It will be the first museum on the so-called Museum Mile in Manhattan, built there since 1959, when the Guggenheim Museum opened. And it was in the famous building of F. L. Wright's design for the new building was presented to the public.
The Museum of African Art has existed in New York since 1984, but only now it has the opportunity to build its own building. However, in order to raise money for this venture, the management of the museum was forced to join forces with a development company, which is going to build a multi-storey residential building next to the museum. In his project, Stern managed to create a single whole from a cultural institute and a 19-storey apartment tower. The building's facades will be decorated with curved bronze-colored profiles, which should bring the traditional curtain wall to life.
The lobby of the museum will be oriented towards 5th Avenue, its wall opposite the entrance, smoothly merging into the ceiling, will be sheathed with boards of rare mahogany from Ghana. It should "remind visitors of … basket weaving as an important part of African art," Stern said. At the far end of the lobby, attention is drawn to a cylindrical volume, lined with copper sheets with holes punched into them. In this "drum" there is a staircase to the second floor. There are planned exhibition halls with an area of 1,500 sq. m. On the third floor are the premises of the administration of the museum, as well as a reception hall, which includes a rooftop terrace with views of Central Park. There will also be a library.
Restoration workshops, archives and storerooms will be located on two underground floors.
