press releases
Burchfield-Penney Art Center’s New Gwathmey Siegel-designed Building Marks Milestone in Buffalo’s Ongoing Cultural Renewal
Acquisition of Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Gardener’s Cottage and Restoration of H.H. Richardson Building, Among Other Revitalization Efforts, Reflect Major Investment in the Region’s Exceptional Cultural Heritage
BUFFALO, NY, March 24, 2006 – A new architectural project has been announced in Buffalo: the Burchfield-Penney Art Center’s new building designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center’s new home, located on the Buffalo State Campus and across the street from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, will provide additional space for the museum’s exhibition galleries and education and public programs. The 75,000-square-foot museum will join Buffalo’s collection of architectural gems when it is completed in fall 2007. Another recent announcement is the Martin House Restoration Corporation’s acquisition of the Gardener’s Cottage designed by Frank Lloyd Wright which reunites the cottage with the original Martin House complex. Other significant projects underway include the restoration of Buffalo’s landmark Henry Hobson Richardson building and Wright-designed Darwin D. Martin House, as well as the new Toshiko Mori-designed Visitors’ Center at the Martin House. Following the New York State Assembly’s committed $100 million, these recent developments mark important new milestones in Buffalo’s ongoing cultural renewal and the city and state’s commitment to its architectural and artistic heritage and future.
Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects’ design for the new BPAC is an elegant structure of interlocking geometric forms and an innovative combination of materials. Surrounded by gardens and walkways, the building will also serve as an academic resource for the Buffalo State College community. The entryway of BPAC’s new two-story building will be lit by a series of domed skylights and lead into exhibition galleries and the museum’s auditorium. The first floor will house the museum’s café, store, classrooms, collection study areas, auditorium, performing hall, permanent collection galleries – including an intimate space which will house Charles Burchfield’s original studio – and large feature exhibition galleries, as well as space for contemporary art installations. Additional exhibition space on the second floor will allow the museum to showcase more of its permanent collection, while an area dedicated to the restoration and preservation of artworks on paper, unique to the Buffalo community, will be a place where visitors can observe art being repaired. The Burchfield-Penny has raised $26 million towards its construction goal of $30 million; an additional $3 million is being raised to increase its operating endowment.
At the same time, the Martin House Restoration Corporation has expanded its program by purchasing the Gardner’s Cottage, the last of four residences that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for Buffalo industrialist Darwin D. Martin in the early 1900s. Much like the Martin house around the corner, the Cottage experienced some neglect and damage, but underwent a restoration from 1987-1991 by the owner at that time. The 2006 acquisition of the Gardener’s Cottage was made possible by a $500,000 gift from Stanford Lipsey, publisher of The Buffalo News, and his wife, Judith. This preservation project is the last step in reuniting the entire historic grounds of the Darwin D. Martin property – consisting of the Martin House and accompanying Carriage House, the Barton House, and the Gardener’s Cottage – and to returning it to its original condition.
In addition to these new announcements, the restoration of the H.H. Richardson-designed Buffalo State Hospital, built from 1870-1896, is among a variety of architectural preservation projects currently underway in Buffalo, including two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most beautiful homes: the Darwin D. Martin House (1903-1905), long regarded as one of Buffalo’s most notable architectural structures and Wright’s greatest Prairie House; and Graycliff (1926-27), the summer home for the Martin family from 1928 to the mid-1940s and the last built commission in the Buffalo area for Wright, located on the shores of Lake Erie. In addition to renovation efforts of the two Wright homes, the Asbury Delaware Church (1876) is undergoing restoration in downtown Buffalo. In spring 2006, the church reopened as the new home for Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center and Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.
About the Burchfield-Penney Art Center
The artistic achievement of artist Charles E. Burchfield was honored with the creation of the Charles Burchfield Center at Buffalo State College in 1966. Sixteen years after Burchfield’s death, the Charles Burchfield Center was renamed the Burchfield Art Center in 1983, to support its multi-arts focus. Between 1991 and 1994, the museum received a series of gifts from Charles Rand Penney, Ph.D., of more than 1,300 works by Western New York artists. Penney’s gift was of such significance that the Burchfield Art Center was renamed the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. Possibly the most important element of Penney’s gift was 183 works by Charles Burchfield. The Burchfield-Penney Art Center now possesses the world’s largest, most comprehensive collection of Burchfield’s art, as well as the archival materials, studio objects and memorabilia that reflect the artist’s life.
Through its affiliation with Buffalo State College, the museum encourages learning and celebrates Buffalo’s richly creative and diverse community. Located on the Buffalo State campus, BPAC exhibits art local to the region including work by Cindy Sherman, Charles Clough, Robert Longo, photographer Milton Rogovin and many others. Current and upcoming exhibitions include: THINK INK: Prints from the Burchfield-Penney’s Collection (March 10 – June 25, 2006); 24/12: Louis Decarlo and Julian Montague (April 14 – May 10, 2006); and 24/12: Terry Cuddy and Ed Sobala (May 12 - June 4, 2006).
Other Cultural and Architectural Projects in Buffalo
New architecture thrives in Buffalo as well with two significant Wright projects underway, including: Frank Lloyd Wright’s design for a winged Tydol Filling Station which will be constructed on the campus of the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum, located only a few blocks from where Wright originally intended it at Michigan and Cherry Streets; and the construction of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rowing Boathouse, providing a new home for the West Side Rowing Club, the nation’s largest rowing club. Wright’s design for the Boathouse, originally included in his Wasmuth Portfolio series of distinctive Prairie Style lithograph designs, was never built.
The city of Buffalo boasts one of the strongest architectural histories in the United States with landmarks designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen (Kleinhans Music Hall), Louis Sullivan (Guaranty Building), Stanford White (Williams-Pratt Mansion), and Frederick Law Olmsted (Buffalo Parks and Parkways), along with Wright and Richardson. Looking to the future, new architectural projects in Buffalo include acclaimed international architect Toshiko Mori’s winning competition entry for a visitors’ center at Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House. This diversity of architects mirrors Buffalo’s unique role in American history as a city of culture and innovation.
As yet another part of the city’s renewal, the Erie Canal Harbor Project is also in the process of redeveloping the original 1825 Erie Canal Terminus and Waterway. The project includes the reconstruction and restoration of historic and cultural features of the terminus, a transit plaza, a waterfront esplanade, maritime facilities, access infrastructure and a new Naval and Serviceman’s Park. Final completion is set for fall 2007.
Together with its rich architectural history, Buffalo benefits from a vibrant cultural community, centered on the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s role as an outstanding center for modern and contemporary art. Housed in its original building by Green and Wicks (1900-1905) and an inspired modernist addition by Gordon Bunshaft (1962), the Albright-Knox is also part of Buffalo’s architectural tradition. The Gallery showcases a variety of artists from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in its exceptional permanent collection, including Auguste Rodin, Piet Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, Spencer Tunic, Louise Bourgeois, and Catherine Opie.
The community has also invested in the ongoing preservation and restoration of the historic Roycroft campus in nearby East Aurora. Founded in 1895 by Elbert Hubbard, the Roycrofters were a community of skilled craftsmen – printers, book designers, furniture-makers – whose work is now highly sought after by Arts and Crafts collectors across the country. Most recently, the Buffalo community helped to renovate the Roycroft Inn that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005.
Buffalo is a city with a longstanding history of innovation, discovery, creativity, production and support for architecture, the arts and culture. From the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, through the invention of the grain elevator, to the harnessing of hydroelectric power at nearby Niagara Falls and the subsequent development of aviation, automobile and steel plants, Buffalo has played a distinguished role in the shaping of the American experience – a history that continues to be made today.
Download a printer-friendly PDF version of this release below.
|
