MoMA's Expansion to Demolish Former American Folk Art Museum Building

The Board of Trustees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York has given the green light for expansion plans that involve tearing down the former American Folk Art Museum building located at 45 West 53rd Street. This unique structure, featuring a copper facade, was inaugurated in 2001 and sold to MoMA in 2011 for $32 million to address construction debts. The Folk Art Museum has since relocated to a smaller site at 2 Lincoln Square. Architects Robert A.M. Stern and Frank Gehry have voiced their opposition to the demolition, with Stern labeling the building "a work of art" and Gehry calling its loss "devastating." The expansion will connect MoMA's existing facility with three floors of a residential tower at 53 West 53rd Street. Gehry also mentioned that architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien should be given another significant project in New York City to regain their stature. The New York Daily News was the first to report on the trustees' approval of the initial project details.