09 Apr 2018
FXCollaborative selected to transform landmark New York church into vibrant home of Children's Museum of Manhattan
BY Kim Megson
Architecture and planning practice FXCollaborative have been selected by the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) to transform a historic New York church into the attraction’s new home.
The 1903 building, located on 96th Street in Manhattan, was originally designed by architects Carrère & Hastings to house the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
The site has now been acquired by the museum, which wants to adapt it into “an ever-evolving place for the most transformative and unpredictable people: children.”
FXCollaborative’s renovation is expected to double the amount of room for exhibitions, accommodating up to twice as many visitors to the museum a year. Their design will emphasise cross-pollination between content areas – such as galleries dedicated to arts and creativity, early childhood, health and the environment, and world cultures.
"The design team have the experience and creative vision that's needed to work respectfully within a landmarked building, and a particular understanding of complex programmes and designing spaces for children," said Halley K. Harrisburg, co-chair of the capital campaign being organised by the Children's Museum of Manhattan.
The museum's executive director, Andy Ackerman, added: "As well as providing us with more space, this site, at 361 Central Park West, will serve as an extraordinary teaching tool to introduce children to the art of architecture."
Explaining the basic design concept, FXCollaborative senior partner Sylvia Smith said: "We're committed to designing environments that fulfil and uplift the human spirit and we’re looking forward to working with CMOM to transform this site into a national destination."
The project is set to take three years to complete. Until then, the Children's Museum will continue operations at its 212 West 83rd Street home.
FXCollaborative's cultural and projects include the new Statue of Liberty Museum, the renovation and expansion of the Alice Tully Hall concert venue, and the Center for Global Conservation at the Bronx Zoo.
They also renovated the zoo’s landmark Lion House, preserving much of the original structure, which had been closed since the 1970s, while maximising space.
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