New Grand Rapids Art Museum

[snoogit]

It matches with its surrounding because its minimalistic. Like wearing dark pants.

Heard of "The Avenue of The Arts?"

I love dark pants. Makes me look professional (lol)

I will say without the crane you can get a much better picture of what the final design looks like. For so long it looked like a menagerie of concrete and steel, but now its looking like the renderings a lot more then before.

[splbrgmi]

Personally, I would have placed it across the river, directly on the river, just like the GRFord and public museum. (maybe there is a museum district). I think it would look fascinating there with tall floor to ceiling windows and a deck that extends on the water, just like it's neighbor. If not there, since land may be unavailable, then in the Arena district, maybe in that empty land across the police headquarters. I'm from Detroit, so I don't know the name of that street, but it's the same one the arena sits on.

Finally, the thing I would have done most, is not build anew at all. They should have just expanded and renovated the existing original building. Someone tell me if that's not possible, I might be unaware of it.

And finally finally, I'm over it and happy that Grand Rapids is seeing new development, no matter where. I want to see a bustling downtown when I come here to study in a year, and it seems like that's becoming a reality. Goodbye Detroit, I'll miss ya, but I'll be back to visit often.

[DwntwnGeo]

If not there, since land may be unavailable, then in the Arena district, maybe in that empty land across the police headquarters. I'm from Detroit, so I don't know the name of that street, but it's the same one the arena sits on.

Thanks for the sugguestions of places. I don't know if the current musuem could have been renovated or not. It seems like their would have been a study done to compair the costs. I wasn't around when the move was originated or in the planning stages. The street you mentioned is Fulton wich runs by the Arena and the Police. The empyt lot you are talking about is at Fulton and Division. It is currently in the process of being bought and developed. Here is the thread on it: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=26569

[sparky05]

It matches with its surrounding because its minimalistic. Like wearing dark pants.

GRAM = Downtown Dockers.

[Prankster]

Personally, I would have placed it across the river, directly on the river, just like the GRFord and public museum. (maybe there is a museum district). I think it would look fascinating there with tall floor to ceiling windows and a deck that extends on the water, just like it's neighbor. If not there, since land may be unavailable, then in the Arena district, maybe in that empty land across the police headquarters. I'm from Detroit, so I don't know the name of that street, but it's the same one the arena sits on.

The fact that the DDA gave the lot to the museum to build on had a lot to do with it's location.

[GRDadof3]

It would have been interesting to see an art museum on the triangle shaped Hinman lot. Something tall and sleek. But as Prankster said, getting a virtually free lot downtown helped a lot.

The current museum building is really not conducive to a modern museum. The building is an old Baroque (?) or Romanesque style structure, that can't be expanded because it's land-locked.

http://www.tfaoi.com/mn/mic/mic135.jpg

[andrew.w]

The current museum building is really not conducive to a modern museum. The building is an old Baroque (?) or Romanesque style structure, that can't be expanded because it's land-locked.

The style your looking for is Beaux Arts. (Romanesque existed around 500-800A.D. and Baroque was popular aroud 1600). But all three styles are basically revivals of Roman architecture, so you weren't that far off.

If you compair on satelite photos, the current museum is significanly smaller than the new museum and the layout of the current building doesn't really allow for any better use than GRAM is getting out of it right now. They deffinitely needed a new building.

[mpchicago]

The MEP Engineer for GRAM has this on their website. Looks like old computer generated renderings from M&M's old design.

[joeDowntown]

I have to say I'm liking the way the new design is turning out but I do like the wood in the first design. It gives an interesting contrast (and seems to be M+M's trademark, so I'm surprised the GRAM didn't like it).

Joe

[blueradon]

I have to say I'm liking the way the new design is turning out but I do like the wood in the first design. It gives an interesting contrast (and seems to be M+M's trademark, so I'm surprised the GRAM didn't like it).

Joe

Could use it in the inside perhaps?

[michaelskis]

I have said this before and I will go at it again

[DwntwnGeo]

I have said this before and I will go at it again

[NorthEnder]

I have said this before and I will go at it again

[GRDadof3]

I'm extremely happy it wasn't brick and stone made to look old. Brick and stone would have been to common for an art show piece. There are so many faux old buildings around, i'm glad we didnt get another one!

Thank you Northender. I agree. An art museum housed in a "Gaslight Village" looking building would have been yuck. I like it and can't wait to see the interior.

[snoogit]

It seems most appropriate that the GRAM is where it is. Not only because of the RPC, but because many Art museums kind of seem to stick out, and the GRAM certainly achieves that.

[hombre_de_ciudad]

I went to the old GR art museum for the first time this afternoon, and I was surprised by how little space is actually given to exhibiting art (unless I missed something). It won't take a whole lot of exhibit space in the new museum to be a significant upgrade over the old space.

That said, most art museums would seem small to me after walking through the *endless* corridors of the Vatican Museum this past summer!

[jbr12]

For all of those that keep commenting on how out of place the new GRAM is, just be happy this isn't what you're getting:

I saw this (Denver Art Museum) in a magazine the other day with some aerial shots and I was terrified!

[numstead]

For all of those that keep commenting on how out of place the new GRAM is, just be happy this isn't what you're getting:

I saw this (Denver Art Museum) in a magazine the other day with some aerial shots and I was terrified!

I agree Jason, Libeskind's work os a lot more "obnoxious", as michaelskis put it, than what we're getting.

Royal Ontario Museum - Toronto

[egrguy]

I like the look of the Royal Ontario Museum. The original building mixed with... I dunno, blocks that hit the fan. But its certainly visually appealing (to me anyway.)

I imagine they could have done something like this if they were to have expanded the original GRAM site. If it was even possible.

[Allison Slater]

I actually am a closet fan of Deconstructivism.. the Royal Ontario Museum is beautiful, but that Denver Art Museum is god-awful ugly.

Deconstructivism is something that needs much moderation though. There should never be too many of them in one close area, otherwise they lose their appeal.

[andrew.w]

Just a little note for anyone judging the Denver Art Museum, it's not finished in that picure. The entire exterior is covered in titanium panels and is all silver in the completed version.

[snoogit]

Just a little note for anyone judging the Denver Art Museum, it's not finished in that picure. The entire exterior is covered in titanium panels and is all silver in the completed version.

So instead of one big unfinished clumsy looking thing, we get one big SHINY clumsy looking thing

[Allison Slater]

Okay that's a lot better then. I knew it looked unfinished, but that tan on the far left looked like it was a finished section, and the pixel-like black areas running near the bottom. The shape of the building is nice, for sure.

[sparky05]

Today:

[mpchicago]

GRAM has their redesigned website up and running. Basically some new graphics, and the new logo.