COMMISSIONS, December, 2003

New York’s Skyscraper Museum, SOM, Gehry tied with planned NJ Nets stadium; Calatrava and church officials part ways; Six finalists named for the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver...

COMMISSIONS

New York’s Skyscraper Museum, designed by SOM, will have a permanent home after six years of changing addresses. In February, the museum will open to the public on the ground floor of the 38-story tower of the Manhattan Ritz-Carlton. Despite continued interest and a wildly successful Web site, the institution previously moved through a series of vacant banks in New York City’s historic financial district.

But even bigger NYC news: earlier this month Frank Gehry was joined in Brooklyn by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to announce a new home for the New Jersey Nets. The 6+ million sf Brooklyn Atlantic Yards will also be home to retail, housing and commercial office space. While still in some flux, plans for the arena include titanium cladding, glass facades and a rooftop skating rink.

Initially, Santiago Calatrava was to design the $131 million Christ the Light Cathedral in Oakland, Calif., intended to replace the St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, badly damaged by earthquake. But after delay in selecting a site, church officials and the Spanish architect parted ways. This month, a downtown site was selected for the new 1,800-seat cathedral with San Francisco architect Craig Hartman as designer.

And while not a commission yet, six finalists have been named for the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver. A winner is expected to be announced in spring. The firms that have made the first cut: Adjaye/Associates of London; Rick Joy of Tucson, Ariz.; Gluckman Mayner of New York; Predock Frane of Santa Monica, Calif.; Snohetta of Oslo; and TEN Arquitectos of Colonia Condesa, Mexico (with collaborator, Humphries Poli of Denver).

a greatly expanded commissions page will return in our January edition.

“An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.”

–James McNeil Whistler