GALLERY OF MODERN ART
A MUSEUM
f ;fll3 by
Hanford Yang
B.A. University of Pennsylvania (1954)
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Te chnology August, 1957
by
Hanford Yang
to
Lawrence B. Anderson Head of Depairtment "Architecture is judged by eyes that see, by
the head that turns and the leSs that walk.
Architecture ... is made up of pictures
adding themselves together ... like music." -
Le Corbusier
I I
Cambridge, Massachusetts August 7, 1957
Dean Pietro Belluschi School of Architecture and Planning Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dear Dean Belluschi:
I have the honor to submit herewith my thesis entitled:
"Gallery of Modern Art."
Very truly yours,
Hanford Yang
L ABSTRACT - The purpose of this thesis is the de-
sign of an art museum to display paintings, sculpture, prints, photo-
graphy, and models of modern architec-
ture. Mr. Huntington Hartford, the
owner of the Museum, has named it
The Gallery of Modern Art, and the
site - costing about $1,000,000
is on Columbus Circle in New York City.
There are three major components
in this museum: the main exhibition
hall, a small lecture room and a snack bar. Because of the charac-
teristic of a small site, the building will be a multi-story one.
With the hope of providing the most
efficient method for exhibitions
in a vertical type of circulation,
the design for this project is intended
to be what the space wants to be: a play of forms in light and shade. DEDICATION - To all museum lovers who believe in the understanding of our past
and of other peoples and their past, that upon this knowledge they may build a keener interest in the future.
t
L CONT E NTS GALLERY OF MODERN ART
- - - A MUSETM CONTENTS - INTRODUCTION Page 1
INQUISITIONS Page 2
PROGRAM
1. Objectives Page 7 2. The Site Page 13
3. Functions Page 17 Public Spaces Page 17 Exhibition Spaces Page 19
Administrative and Curatorial Spaces Page 21
Operating Spaces Page 23
Additional Spaces Page 27 4. Summation of Space Needed Page 28 5. Finances Page 33
MAPS Page 34
PHOTOGRAPHS Page 38
A SURVEY OF MUSEUMS IN NEW YORK CITY Page 43
SOUVENIRS Page 50 SNTR O D UCTIONS INTRODUCTION - This is a simple story. Mr. Hunting- ton Hartford, member of the family
that founded the Great Atlantic and
Pacific Tea Company and the entrepre-
neur of the Huntington Hartford Enter-
prises, has decided to build an art
museum to house his own collections of
art. The site of the museum is to be
near Columbus Circle in New York City. After the project was announced in the papers everybody began talking about
it. "Why not take this museum as the subject
of your Master's thesis in architec-
ture? It might be an interesting one,"
Dean Belluschi -urged me when I went to
see him about a topic.i
So I inquired further about the museum
and learned that it would indeed be an interesting subject for a thesis.
Thus, it all began.
1 IN Q UI SI TION S IUISITIONS - A certain amount of information about
the proposed museum was obtained by direct contact and correspondence with
Mr. Hartford and the Huntington Hart-
ford Enterprises. With this informa- tion a pro6ram for the design of the project was then set up.
2 Question: In general, what do your collections consist of?
Answer: Paintings, later on sculp- tures. question: Does your collection rep- resent one period of art only?
Answer: Yes, nineteenth to twentieth centuries, 1800 to contemporary. question: Does your -collection rep- resent one type of art only? Answer: No. It includes all types of art within these restrictions. How- ever, in the case of contemporary art the emphasis will probably be less on the abstract expressionism and ex- treme forms of art.
Question: How many paintings are there in the collection? Answer: Twenty-five paintings at pre- sent, but the collection will continue to grow indefinitely.
3 Question: What are these paintings?
Answer: They are mostly by Reginald
Marsh, Frederic Waugh, Edward Hopper,
Blakelock,Inness, Monet, and Orozco.
Question: How many pieces of sculp- ture are there in the collection?
Answer: None at present, but some will be gathered by the time the mu- seum opens.
Question: Do you collect other ob- jects beside paintings and sculp- ture?
Answer: The plan is to collect main- ly paintings and sculpture, but one floor in the museum will be dedicated to architectural models, perhaps to prints and photography as well.
Question: What is the proposed name of your museum?
Answer: The Gallery of Modern Art.
4 'Question* How big a museum do you intend to have? Answer: It will be approximately height limit, or ten to twelve sto- ries, depending on set-back, etc.
question: Do you intend to expand your museum in the future? Answer: No, although the building may not be entirely used for a gal- lery in the beginning.
question: Is a small auditorium or lecture room needed? Answer: Yes. It may or may not go through--possibly a circle-type theatre.
Question: Is a snack bar or cafe needed? Answer: Yes, some kind of bar or res- taurant on the top level or roof.
I Question: Do you intend to have temporary displays in the museum?
Answer: There will be a room dedi- cated to the Hartford Foundation in
California where painters could ex- hibit their works once a month.
Question: Is this museum going to be open to the public free of charge?
Answer: Probably there will be a small admission fee, but it is hoped to keep it somewhat lower than that of the Museum of Modern Art, which will be our natural rival.
Question: What is the exact location of your property?
Answer: At Columbus Circle, between West 58th Street and Broadway.
Question: Do you intend to expand your property in the future?
Answer: No.
6 PROG R AM OBJECTIVES - The purpose of the Gallery of Modern
Art, like any other fine arts museum, is to give opportunity for enjoyment
to those who seek enjoyment and to
give opportunity for study to those
who seek knowledge. The entire building, designed to dis-
play paintings, sculpture, prints,
photography and models of modern arch- itecture, will create a small commun-
ity of art and raise the general level
of refinement by giving pleasure and
imparting knowledge. Through this institution, and others
like it, people may be led to appre-
ciation and enjoyment of beauty and
to intelligent understanding of our
past and the past of other peoples.
Upon this knowledge they may build a keener interest in the future.
In studying the true nature of the space involved, one finds that the Gallery of Modern Art actually has
7 three major components:
1. the main exhibition space
2. a small auditorium or lecture hall
3. a roof-top eating place
The exhibition space is, of course, the main feature of the entire museum. Because of the characteris tics of the relatively small site, which will be studied in the following section, the building will be naturally a multi- story one. The exhibition space, thus, should be designed to have not only easy horizontal circulation on each floor for the museum visitors but also carefully considered vertical circula- tion between the floors, so that a feeling of continuity of space is pre- sent. The whole museum, therefore, will be composed of displays on a series of levels rather than in different rooms.
The lighting for the exhibition space is also an important factor that re- quires consideration in the design.
Mixed light--that is, light coming from both the sun and lamps --is what we are accuatomed to during daylight hours. The natural ingredient does its share in illumination and at the same time sets some of our primitive feelings at rest. The artificial in-&
8redient makes up for the fact that natural light can not do a fully sat- isfactory job indoors. Museums must recognize this double requirement.
Moreover, air conditioning should be used in museums for the comfort of visitors and employees and for the conservation of the collections. Ade- quate air conditioning retards or e- liminates shrinking, bulging, warping, and cracking that may come from tem- perature and humidity changes. It keeps out dust; forestalls discolora- tion, "foxing," and growth of mold, mildew and fungus; and prevents sub-
9 stances from decaying and softening, from becoming brittle or loosened. In
short, any museum with important col- lections to preserve must either meet the cost of air conditioning or neg-
lect a duty toward its charges.
In addition to the main area, a spe- cial exhibition space is to be de-
signed for the Hartford Foundation in
California so that painters can dis- play their efforts occasionally.
- The auditorium with a seating capa- city of about three hundred is another important element in the Gallery. Be- sides offering fine motion pictures and lectures by various experts in the field of the arts, the space can also be used for chamber music concerts, re- citals, and recitations. It can be a meeting room, too, if so needed. For easy control and circulation of a maximum crowd the location of the audi-
10 torium would best be on the first floor or in the basement. It is essential
that the assembly hall be usable with-
out opening other parts of the museum.
The auditorium lobby and its service
facilities -- check room, toilets, re- ception room, pantry, and box office--
-should be adequately designed and con-
veniently located in relation to the
museum entrance.
The stage and auditorium should be
equipped with adequate lighting, in-
eluding footlights or outlets for simi-
lar lights, public address system, two- way television circuit, area for tele-
vision broadcasting, and apparatus for sound motion picture and slide projec- tion.
- A roof-top restaurant should provide
a pleasant atmosphere for both museum
staff and visitors. Situated in the heart of the towers of Manhattan and
11 overlooking Columbus Circle, Central
Park and the skyline of New York, the restaurant can indeed be one of the ideal places to dine.
A staff lunchroom or kitchenette sep- arate from the regular dining room is not advisable. Where there is a public restaurant a staff table or section is the best solution. The kitchen should be designed with adequate facilities and be located close to the dining room.
12 jl THE SITE - Downtown plots in New York City are
occupied by a great number of museums.
Such a location near the business ar-
eas seems to surpass any other.
The property for Mr. Hartford's museum
is located at Columbus Circle. The site,
facing the New York City Coliseum, is an oddly-shaped island formed by the
junction of Eighth Avenue and Broadway,
between the Circle and Fifty-eighth
Street. The land at present is occu- I pied by a five-story building that houses a shoe store and offices. About
$1,000,000 was paid for the building and lot.
To the east, along Broadway, the site faces a group of tall apartment build-
ings constructed of red brick with
simple facades. They are twenty
stories high, with the ground floors
being leased to drug stores, ladies'
garment shops, and shoe stores. To the south, across Fifty-eighth
I 13 L Street, is the General Motors Building.
It is about twenty-six stories high with a limestone facade.
The site faces the Coliseum on the west side. Essentially this newly finished structure consists of a four-level exhibition hall surmounted along the Fifty-eighth Street frontage by a twen- ty-story office building. The entire basement and sub-basement are used as parking garage with a capacity of 666 self-parked cars or 850 attendent- parked vehicles. The conservatively designed facade is of light-grey brick with vertical lines emphasized by re- cessed panels in the windowless lower portion of the building. Columbus Circle is directly to the north of the site. The circle provides an open view toward Central Park. It is conceivable that the proposed museum will have, therefore, a magnificent outlook toward the wooded park and the city skyline beyond.
34J The site is easily accessible from all parts of the city. Both the Seventh
Avenue-Broadway, Sixth and Eighth Ave-
nue subways have stations at Fifty-
ninth Street, and the Fifty-seventh Street station of the BMT is only one
block away. The Grand Central Station
of the New York Central and New York,
New Haven and Hartford Railroad, at Forty-second Street and Park Avenue,
is a short distance by subway, bus, or
taxi. At Thirty-fourth Street and
Seventh Avenue the Pennsylvania Rail- road Station, which also is the Manhat-
tan terminal of the Long Island Rail- road and some New York, New Haven and
Hartford and other trains, is even
closer. It is also only a few minutes
from the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Bus lines on Fifty-seventh and Fifty-
ninth Streets as well as on Fifth,
Sixth., Seventh, Eighth, Broadway, and Ninth Avenues pass by or are conveni- ent to the site. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, the Miller Highway,
and the Henry Hudson Parkway encircle
the island of Manhattan and permit
easy access by automobile by way of
the bridges and tunnels across the
Hudson River from New Jersey, across
the East River from Queens, Brooklyn
and Long Island, and from the arter-
ial highway system of the Bronx, West-
chester, upper New York State, and New England.
Physically, the site is a rather
small one. Along Broadway, on the east
side, the site is approximately 75 feet, 11 inches; south, along West Fifty-
eighth Street, 97 feet, 1; inches; west,
along Eighth Avenue, 40 feet, 812 inches; north, facing Columbus Circle, 75 feet, 9 inches.
j 1 I
FUNCTIONS - A museum is a sort of creature for
which the museum building is the sup- porting structure and covering. A
good building fits its occupant and
provides for natural action, and its physical volume ought to have ways
of being increased as well as decreased when the occupant and exhibition
changes. A functional shelter is just
as important as a functional staff,
and through proper housing the staff I can be even more effective. The following types of space will be
required to provide for the proper activities of the Gallery of Modern Art:
I. Public Spaces Lobbies
A spacious, attractive, well lighted and well ventilated lobby is neces-
sary to receive visitors. The lobby should be-designed so as to put the visitors at ease and orient them to
17 I the contents of the museum. It con- trols traffic to exhibits, to meet- ing rooms and auditorium, to cura- tors' offices and to the restaurant.
The usual features of a lobby are in- formation desk, publications and re- productions salesroom or island, check room, sitting areas and toilets. It also provides mailbox, telephones, writing desks, drinking fountains, directory and directing devices and guard post.
Special Exhibits Space
An area of 1000 sq.ft. should be lo- cated close to the auditorium or main lobby for the travelling exhibitions and Hartford Foundation displays. Auditorium
The auditorium should have a seating capacity of three hundred. Preferably it should be located on the first floor or in t.he basement. The audi- torium proper should be an unbroken
18 space with a level floori and portable chairs, so that it gives a useful room for receptions, meetings and perhaps even exhibitions. There should be soft flooring, proper a- coustical treatment, air condition- ing, and special lighting. Small dressing rooms, toilets and storage spaces should be provided backstage.
II. Exhibition Spaces
Collections for exhibition in the Gal- lery of Modern Art belong under five categories: painting, sculpture, prints, photography, and architectural models. The allocation of exhibition space among the various exhibits is approximately as follows:
Painting ...... 10,000 sq.ft.
*Sculpture ...... 6,000 sq.ft.
Prints ...... 1,000 sq.ft. Phctography ...... 1,000 sq.ft.
*Architectural models .. 2,000 s.ift.
Total exhibition space 20,000 sq.ft.
19 *Part or all of the rooms for sculp-
ture and architectural models will require high ceilings.
With new freedom given by recent de- velopments in engineering and archi-
tectural design, the museum planner can approach the problem of organ- izing space in a direct and practical
way. No longer need one take for
granted some conventional form such as
U-and V- shaped, E- shaped, H- shaped or other such formal plans for exhi-
bitions. These shapes are satisfac-
tory if requirements of the museum necessitate their use, but they are
no longer indicated before the prob- lem is worked out. Nevertheless, in
conducting visitors through the muse- um, passageways and vertical transpor-
tation must be adequate to handle the
large crowds who come to see the ex- hibits and who move along in groups
from a starting point. Circulation
20
j areas should also be adequate and
usable for special exhibitions during quiet periods,
Smoking lounges -with associated rest rooms, preparation rooms and
temporary storage areas should be
distributed throughout the exhibition
spaces. In addition, all floors must
have the full complement of service and maintenance facilities including
mop sinks, storage closets for clean-
ing supplies and equipment, outlets
for scrubbing, vacuum cleaning and waxing.
III. Administrative and Curatorial Spaces Administrative offices should have
adequate and well placed space for
the personnel. Location of offices
in the building is a matter of very practical concern since business
visitors should not ha've to be pri-
vately conducted nor should they be
21 sent exploring through the building
in order to reach a member of the
Staff. The route from the main en-
trance to the offices should be un-
der control from the lobby. This is
partly for convenience and partly to
prevent thefts from the offices. From the administrative areas it
should be easy to reach the curator-
ial offices, exhibition space and service quarters.
Modern, ample, and efficient work
places are essential. Offices should have proper closet and cabinet space. There should be convenient toilet facilities for the staff. Dividing partitions should be light and flex- ible. Flooring should be wood or linoleum. The ceiling should be treated acoustically. There should be windows to let in some natural light and air conditioning for the comfort of the staff members.
22 I
IV. Cperating Spaces Housekeeping services of the museum
are a varied number of activities
having to do with supply, mainten- ance, and shop work, and with the
arrival, movement, and departure of
museum possessions and exhibitions.
The artisans and laborers of the
service force engaged in these oper-
ations are under the control of the
superintendent. The superintendent's
office should be at the service en- trance to facilitate supervision.
The service entrance, which leads to
workrooms and other parts of the ser-
vice quarters, should also be conven-
iently located for truck traffic. The rooms of the registrar and photos-
rapher should be grouped with the service quarters since the recording
and photographing of works of art that
come and go can best be done there.
23 Service Entrance The service entrance should lead di-
rectly to the receiving room with a
packing and unpacking area. A door- way for the use of service employees, delivery men, and other persons
should be provided. It requires al- so a freight portal for the use of
trucks.
The Receiving Room
About 500 sq.ft. is needed for the receiving room. Other rooms, such
as the superintendent office, storage, shop, and work areas, and registrar's and photographer's quarters, should be conveniently connected.
The receiving room and the freight
elevator should lend themselves to movement of materials throughout the building.
Superintendent's Office
This is the control room. It should be placed so that the superintendent
can see through a window or glazed
24 partition what goes on at the service entrance and in the receiving room.
100 sq.ft. is required.
The Freiht Elevator Generally it should be large, slow, and powerful, and should be oper- ated by push button. 70 sq.ft, is required.
The Registrar's Quarters The registrar's room should communi- cate freely with the receiving room and should also be arranged for com- plete closing under lock and key.
The storage place may require simple picture racks and shelves to take care of the works of art.
Photography Workrooms
Required are a studio or camera room of at least 150 sq.ft., a dark room of 40 sq.ft, for loading, unloading, film developing and drying, and an- other larger room for printing, en- larging, and the developing, fixing, washing and drying of prints. Shops
Not only should adequate space be pro- vided in a suitable location, but the space too should be planned for the required shop operations by someone experienced in the work.
The principal kinds of shop work for which provisions are needed are car- pentry, painting and finishing, ma- chine and sheet metal work, electri- cal maintenance, and structural in- stallation. About 600 sq.ft. is need- ed. Storage Space
An area for exhibition cases, equip- ment, and collections not in use is required. About 1000 sq.ft, should be enough. Other housekeeping stor- age, as of restaurant supplies, jani- tor's supplies and office supplies, should be put in places convenient to those who use them.
26 Pr
Boiler Room and Air Conditioning Room As a rule, the space should be cen- trally located at a level lower than
the basement or in a sub-basement. It should be isolated and ventilated.
V. Additional Spaces
Restaurant
The restaurant will operate princi-
pally for lunch for visitors and mus- eum employees. It will be arranged to serve as a snack bar for refresh-
ments during morning and afternoon periods.
The kitchen should be conveniently
located to the dining room. Storage space and service area should be ade- quate.
xterior paces
Outdoor exhibits, sculpture, foun-
tains, garden patios, sheltered
spaces, benches and roof terraces
should be considered.
27 Ir
SUMMATION OF.- I* Public Spaces SPACE NEEDED Lobbies ...... 900 sq.ft.
Check rooma . 100 sq.ft.
Toilets ...... 200 sq.ft.
Storage roomp ...... 100 sq.ft.
Sales ...... 100 sq.ft.
Special exhibi-- tion space *.... 1,000 sq.ft.
Auditorium *..... 1,600 sq.ft.
Other spaces .... 1,000 sq.ft.
Total 5,000 sq.ft. I
28
L II. Exhibition Spaces
Painting ..... 10,000 sq.ft
Sculpture .... 6,000 sq.ft . Prints ...... 1,000 sq.ft
. Photography ... 1,000 sq.ft
Architectural models ...... 2,000 sq.ft Smoke lounges and toilets .... 800 sq.ft
Storage ...... 200 sq.ft
Other spaces .. 1,000 sq.ft .
Total 22,000 sq.fft.
I 29 L III. Administrative and Curatorial Spaces Director's office ...... 200 sq.ft. Reception room ...... 400 sq.ft.
Pantry ...... 100 sq.ft.
Toilets ...... 200 sq.ft.
Stenographers .. 300 sq.ft.
Files and storage ...... 300 sq.fft. l,500 sq.ft. Ouratorts office,...... 200 sq.ft. Stenographers . 300 sq.ft. Library 200 sq.f t. Files and storage *...... 300 sq.ft. 1,000 sq.ft.
Staff lounges .. 600 sq.ft.
Other spaces ... 400 sq.ct. 1,000 sq.ft. Total 3,500 sq.ft.
30 Irl I IV. Operating Spaces
Service entrance 100 sq.ft. Receiving room 500 sq.ft. Superintendent's office ...... 100 sq.ft. Freight elevator 100 sq.ft. Registrars quarters ...... 200 sq.ft. Photography workrooms ...... 250 sq.ft. Shops 600 sq.ft.
Storage ...... 1$000 sq.ft.
Boiler room and air-con- I ditioning room ...... I,500 sq.ft. Toilets and locker rooms 6oo sq.ft. Other spaces 450, sq.ft. Total 5,400 sq.ft.
I 31 L I I
V., Additional Spaces
Restaurant ..... 2,000 sq.ft. Kitchen 800 sq. ft. Storage 200 sq.ft. Toilets 200 sq.ft.
Roof terraces and outdoor exhibits ...... 2, 000 sq.ft. Other spaces ..... 300 sq .ft. Total 5,500 sq.ft.
Total for the Gallery of I Modern Art ...... 41,400 sq.ft, or approximately ... 42,000 sq.ft.
h L 32 FINANCES - As head of the institution, the presi-
dent, Mr. Huntington Hartford, should
take the initiative in providing in-
come, but in order that the museum may have a healthy life and growth he
should have the support of the execu-
tive committee and of the trustees--if
such an organization is desired by Mr. Hartford--as well as the assist-
ance of the director, who functions
as professional advisor to the board
and as agent of the board in the con- duct of museum business.
The cost of the new building is es-
timated at #1,500,000. About #1,000,000
was paid for the property by Mr. Hart- ford.
Admission fees; income on endowment con- sisting of interest or dividends on
stocks, bonds, mortgages, loans and ren- tal of real estate; and contributions
and gifts will be the income for main-
tenance of the museum.
33
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'3 A V Sn g V4 fln 0 3 '3 A V H IN IN ) ( ~' I, Gaflery *f Modern Art at Columabus CivelU
Musnus of Modern Art at West Fiftythird Street
Metropolitan Museum at Pifth Avenue "d Sighty-ncond Steet
n MhuAeum 1Fifth Avenue
37 [ I 72 ND STRAEET fL
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j I 42ND SfR E E J 1>[ I F - - T[ j L [L ll F / z ]M] F JL L [-% MION- r f1 T I IPOIIIA [jj -J Lu ~~ I L 34 I F r TRAII4PORT4 P HOTOG RAP H S View of Coflbus Circl
38 A 44
/ I A To the east, along Broadway, the site faces a group of tall apartment buildings.
39 2
4 4 4
I
ille To the south, acroma Fifty-eighth Street, is the General Motors Building,
40 UEImpULuPUTIu
r" The site faces the Coliseum on the west*
4 AV A Columbus Circle is directly to the north of the site.
2 a
- -I;. -
I
A A SURVEY. OF MUSEUMS IN NEW YORK CITY A SURVEY OF - 1. Brooklyn Museum: Houses extensive MUSEUMS IN NEWY YORK CITY and varied collections covering the
fine and applied arts. Also here
are held important temporary exhi-
bitions. Permanent collections con-
tain fine European and American
paintings, especially early works of this country and an inclusive group
of modern artists; Indian objects from the United States, Mexico and
South America; and African art,
2. The Cloisters: Is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum, at Fort Tryon
Park overlooking the Hudson River
in uptown New York. This museum is
a successful attempt to recapture
the effect of medieval art through
the use of architectural ensembles,
reconstructed as accurately as pos-
sible and used, as they were in the
past, as the setting for sculpture and painting and other artistic
43 works. Included in the displays
are the series of "Unicorn" tapes-
tries, individual Romanesque and Gothic sculpture like the thirteenth
century heads high up in a chapel,
and the multi-colored Madonna and
child of the fourteenth century
which was sold by Hitler under the
pretext that it was French art.
3. The Coliseum: Has four exhibition floors with 273,672 sq.ft. for
boat shows, flower shows, dog shows, home shows, do-it-yourself shows,
and other exhibitions.
4. Cooper Union: Contains collections
of applied arts, especially textiles.
5. Frick Collection: Is kept on a high level. The paintings include master-
pieces by Duccio, Piero della Fran- cesca, Castagno, Bellini, Titian, El Greco, Goya, Rembrandt, and Hals.
Fine porcelains, enamels and numerous
L4 other objects are included.
6. Grolier Club: Offers important tem-
porary exhibitions and permanent
collections devoted to the arts of book-making and printing.
7. Hispanic Society of America: Contains
a collection of paintings, sculpture, and drawings covering Spanish-Amer-
ican subjects as well as works by the great Spanish masters.
8. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Re-
puted to cover the fine arts more fully than any other museum although
it still excludes much primitive
work. The comprehensiveness of the collections is matched, in numerous
fields, by their richness in works
of very high quality. The galleries of classical art cover the whole de-
velopment from an early Archaic fig-
ure of more than life size to a series of frescoed rooms from Boscoreale
45 T
(near Herculaneum) which are unique
outside of Naples and Pompeii. The
Egyptian collections are, in part, from the museum's own excavations.
The assemblage of arms and armor is
the finest in America. Also excel-
lent are the collections of silver,
lace, textiles, ceramics and the other applied arts. The painting
collections include works of Filip-
po Lippi, Raphael, Titian, Veronese, and Bronzino; the Spanish school, with numerous works by El Greco and
Goya; magnificent examples of Van Eyck, Van der Weyden, Bruegel, Rubens, Hals and Rembrandt; French painting
from the time of the Avignon and Fon-
tainebleau masters; and English and
American works. The department of
prints and drawings is also of great
importance.
9. Museum of the City of New York:
Houses many objects which have, beside
46 their historic value, the quaint charm of early days. Certain old American portraits are also dis-
played.
10. Museum of Modern Art: Was estab-
lished in 1929 as a place for the
exhibition of contemporary masters
and experimenters. It has already a collection of fine works along
with important modern exhibitions,
Picasso's "Guernica," and one-man
shows of Rouault, Leger, and Miro.
In addition, there are collections
of moving pictures, photography, architectural material and applied
arts.
11. Museum of Non-objective Art (or
Guggenheim Museum): Set up by the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. The permanent collection centers
.around Bauer and Kandinsky, with other works of similar type.
47 12. National Academy of Design: Has been holding annual exhibitions for over a hundred years. It possesses
too an extensive collection of works
by and of its members.
13. New York Historical Society: Owns
several galleries of paintings to- gether with a multitude of histori-
cal objects. Some paintings are by early Americans while others date
from a time before New York had a permanent art museum. These works,
along with Egyptian, Assyrian, and
ancient Mexican ones, were given to the Historical Society during that
period.
14. New York Public Library: Has varied collections of paintinga, including works by Turner, Reynolds, Copley, and Stuart, and a large number of prints.
48 15. Pierpont Morgan Library: Is one of the great private libraries of the
world. It is especially rich in 11-
luminated manuscripts and other rarities of the book-making art.
Drawings by masters, including an
impressive group of works by Blake, are housed here.
16. Whitney Museum of American Art: De-
veloped from exhibitions held at a
club founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. It still stages important
exhibitions of contemporary American
painters and sculptors. A long con- tinued program of support to Ameri-
can artists by the purchase of their
work has given the museum a perman-
ent collection. It is affiliated
with the Metropolitan Museum.
49 SOUVENIRS New York Times June- 11-, 1956 fualj iArt Museum at Columbus Circle nk- Planned by Huntington Hartford'
tst- A. & P. Heir to Build 10 -story be nic Gallery for Modern Works 'he at Cost of $2,500,000 L 7o gn By SANKA KNOX
he The burgeoning plans for the - COtumBU~ PARK 0 cc at, Columbus Circle area have SOUTr .if- grown to include a new art gal- -in lery. Huntington Hartford, mem- ber of the family that founded -- :e- the Great Atlantic and Pacific 5S Tea Company, plans to build the S O A on gallery. CALLERY OF 0 Ls- Mr. Hartford's project, al- -N 4 rs though not yet in the blueprint ed stage, is planned as a ten-story W 575 STS rs building that would be a marble l ot showplace of the visual arts. The as site, facing the Coliseum, is an ig island, formed by the juncture of Setting for planned museum of Eighth Avenue and Broadway, nt between the Circle and Fifty- and will be designed to match eighth Street, the Coliseum. le The land is occupied by a five- The name of the institutioni )Y story building housing a shoe will be the Gallery of Modern fstore, office space and a large Art. Mr. Hartford said he fa- ts advertising sign. About $1,000,- vored a liberal approach to con- . 1 000 was paid for the building and temporary painting, but opposed Id oddly shaped lot. The cost of the extreme trends. ginew building is estimated at Mr. Hartford wants a garden d $1500,000. restaurant at the top of the y An architect has not been se- building. He is tentatively Plan- glected for the new building. But, Ining a theatre for art films. Six Mr. Hartford said yesterday, the or seven floorls, with approx- building will be simple. It will imately 4,000 square feet each, be white or off-white in color, Continued on Page 3 Column 3
L TI IArt Museum at Columbus Circle Planned by Huntington Hartfo rd
Continued From Page 1 were pitched'i a fa' milder key than other of- his public state will be. devoted to art. The space ments on the subject Last year, is about equal to that in the in full-page advertisements in Museum of Modern Art. New York newspapers, Mr. Hart- The remaining floors will be ford defined his views of what rented'as office space at first- art is. These views excluded But eventually the entire build- both photographic realism and ing will be used to display paint-i abstraction. ings, sculpture, prints, photo-. The state of art in the nation, graphy and, possibly models of he wrote, in "the profession of modern architecture, Mr. Hart- painting, at. least; has esthet-! ford said. -ically, morally and in certain There.,will be shops at street quarters even politically become level. The entrances will be on' a thoroughly. degenerate one." Fifty-eighti Street. he said. Mr. Hartford asserted that Pablo Mr.,;Haitford said he thought Picasso had gone "an amazing of his new 'Venture mostly as distance toward wiping out sin- a museum,, with a curator in gle-handed all the gains that charge. But paintings will be have been mad- in tit'iord of sold in the gallery. painting in the ia 500 yeat-s." "I want, to encourage artists, Mr. Hartford has acolledtian but the emphasis 'Will be on ex- of twenty-five paintings, whih hibition;"4Mr. Hartford said. he will continue to' add to, he He considers himself- "quite said. His pictures inclde work liberal"' in bhis views on art. by -Reginold Marsh, Frederic "But I don't favor extreme ab- Waugh and Edward Hopper, * stract expressionism, or -other Blakelock, Inness, Monet and extreme trends," he said. Orozco. The collection will be on Mr. Hartford's exceptions to permanent loan in the new gal- 'certain trends in art yesterday ler. I ..... Office of the Dean of Architecture and Planning Massachusetts Institute of Technology
April 29, 1957
Mr. Huntington Hartford River House 435 East 52nd Street New York, New York
Dear Mr. Hartford:
Mr. Hanford Yang, a graduate student at the School of Architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, came to me in search of a subject for his Master's thesis. I recommended your Museum project to him as I thought it nmight be an interesting one.
It is understood that the thesis is one of the requirements for all students who wish to obtain a Master's degree and the solution of any thesis project is purely academic. Lt will not in any way compete with any work on the Museum that your architects may be at present engaged on.
I would appreciate jrour assistance to Mr. Yang in the matter of furnishing some essential information for the thesis. This will comprise a map of the Museum site and a simple program of the requirements, etag
Sincerely,
PB:ef Pietro Belluschi ED
cc
OIE BEEKMAN PLACE NEW YCRK CITY
May 13, 1957
Dear r. Belluschis
I would be delighted to co"perate in any manner with Mr. Hanford Yang. I have not yet selected an architect for the museum, but I hope to do so within the next few weeks. Whoever the architect turns out to be, I will make sure that he gives Mr. Yang whatever information he needs.
Kindest regards,
Huntington Hartford ------4
Huntington Hartford Enterprises 420 Lexington Avenue New York 17, N.Y.
July 9, 1957
Mr. Hanford Yang School of Architecture M.I.T. Cambridge 39 Massachusetts
Dear Mr. Yang:
As Mr. Huntington Hartford is still out of town and will not be back before next week he asked me to thank you for your letter of June 24,1957. Unfortunately I do not have the questionnaire which you enclosed with your letter but I will try and reply as directly as possible.
Mr. Hartford's collection consists almost entirely of oil paintings of the western hemisphere. It represents the period 19/20th century-1800 to contemporary. It will include all types of art within these restrictions - however, in the case of contemporary art the emphasis will probably be less on the abstract expressionism and extreme forms of art. There are about 25 paintings in Mr. Hartford's collection but he hopes to continue collecting for an indefinite period of time along the same lines as he has been doing.
So far he has no sculpture but hopes to have some when the museum is ready.
Although the object in niid is to collect paintings and sculpture, Mr. Hartford hopes to have one floor dedicated to architectural models.
The name of the building will THE GALLERY OF MODERN ART. It will be approximately height limit, which will probably be 10/12 stories, depending on set-back, etc. It will not be possible to expand. The building may not be utilixed entirely for a gallery at the beginning but will be to the greatest possible extent. Mr. HartBfrd has a tentative plan to build a theatre on one floor which may or may not go through - possibly a circle type theatre. Definitely planning to have some kind of bar or restaurant on top floor or roof. Mr. Hartford intends to have a room dedicated to his Foundation in California, where painters could possibly exhibit once a month in the room. There will proball7 be a small admission charge but it is hoped to keep it somewhat less than that of the Museum of Modern Art which will be our natural rival. (co hED
-2-.
The property is located at Columbus Circle here in New York City. I do not have any plans of the property readily available but could possibly get stome for you if you wish. The enclosed newspaper clipping may be of interest to you, as it shows the site of the proposed gallery.
If there is any additional information which you require please let me know and I will be delighted to send it immediately.
Sincerely yours,
Barbara Solier Secretary to Encl: Mr. Huntington Hartford 4 "Architecture is the play of forms
under the light, the play of forms
correct, wise and magnificent."
Le Corbusier C E N T R. A L 87 Con'zine on P /, ./ozA .te R6. S xeser s B 0 - --C- E NTR AL P ARK -- - 1049 ------LO - --- Lot 29 NEW YORK COLISEL M w4 N 1sN I s OWim Hl 0 -- AS a' 'ox
N. 58 TM
a| op GENERL MOORS' 'L 6 N "
WES ORE
ENTGENERAL MOTORS AVN on g e g e a BUILDING ' eel JIce 3,
N. 57.
cc IF\IS K 46
IENDOME 10 HEARST MAGAZINE B D ;tTEL
TABERNA CLE 4 CHUR CH
N#. 5 61H 0 - -- 1931 0 M4." " Ma WJ uA& fByN
gallery of modern art
a proposed museum for mr. huntington hartford
h an f ord y a n g 1 9 s 7 I I I I ~aI - I= I HARTFORD SUITE OFFICE LEVEL ROOF GARDEN LEVEL DINING ROOM LEVEL D LEVEL C LEVEL B LEVEL EXHIBITION HALL A LEVEL LOUNGE LEVEL D LEVEL C LEVEL 8 LEVEL EXHIBITIONHALL A LEVEL LOUNGE LEVEL D LEVEL C LEVEL B LEVEL EXHIBITION HALL A LEVEL MEZZANINE STREET LEVEL tll-" STORAGE LEVEL MECHANICS TYPICAL EXHIBITION HALL - B a 0 LEVELS TYPICAL EXHIBITION HALL - A LEVEL TYPICAL LOUNGE LEVEL TYPICAL EXHIBITION HALL - C LEVEL MEZZANINE LEVEL w 58 STREET STREET LEVEL REFLECTD CEILING PLAN OFFICE LEVEL MULTIPURPOSE ROOM LEVEL DINING ROOM LEVEL