NYC Museum planned move on hold - Front Page - Museum of the City of New York may not relocate to Tweed courthouse - Brief Article

In December 2000, prompted by then Mayor Giuliani, the Museum of the City of New York announced plans to relocate from Upper Fifth Avenue to the newly renovated Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan. But those plans are now on hold under Mayor Bloomberg; reportedly the new mayor sees the luxuriously restored courthouse, a few blocks from the World Trade Center site, as viable office space for the downtown area. He has also raised questions about the $18 million that it would cost to move the museum. Opposition to the museum's move has come from East Harlem politicians worried about losing a star attraction, and others who say the Tweed Courthouse interior isn't suited for museum exhibitions.

Located on Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street, the museum's current building is considered lackluster by architecture buffs; funds ran out during its construction in 1930, after the previous year's stock market crash, and its size and finish were scaled back considerably. The museum has excellent collections that include historical paintings, photographic works by Jacob Riis and Berenice Abbott, over 3,000 prints by Currier & Ives, costumes and objects related to the theater, period rooms furnished by the Rockefeller family, toys and decorative objects.

Named for the infamous political leader William M. "Boss" Tweed, the courthouse was constructed in the 1870s and sparked a political scandal that helped bring Tweed down. The building project was budgeted at $350,000, but due to kickbacks and inflated fees, ended up costing the city $13 million, an astounding sum for the time. A plasterer received $133,187 for two days' work (nearly $2 million today). A furniture contractor was paid $179,729 ($2.5 million today) for three tables and 40 chairs. Completed in 1878, the building, now a historic landmark, was used as a courthouse until 1926, when it was converted into city offices--its interior crudely subdivided, its original details hidden.

With its stained-glass skylight, marble floors and gold-leafed columns now restored, the opulent courthouse is once again garnering a reputation as something of a financial black hole. Originally budgeted at $35 million, the restoration, begun under the Giuliani administration and completed late last year, has topped out at nearly $90 million. In February, the Daily News reported that the city spends close to $5,000 a month to light the empty building and $15,000 a month for security. Aside from Bloomberg's post-inauguration reception, the building has been unused.

As New York City works to rebuild after Sept. 11, the museum's relocation to Lower Manhattan seems to have broad support. A decision from Mayor Bloomberg is pending as we go to press.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Brant Publications, Inc.
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