Statewide, Citywide and Local Preservation Organizations
Praise Selection of Manhattan’s 2 Columbus Circle as one
of
America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
(May 24, 2004) – The former Gallery of Modern
Art at 2 Columbus Circle has been loved, loathed and hotly debated
since its opening in 1964. Today, the National
Trust for Historic Preservation announced 2
Columbus Circle as one of America’s “11
Most Endangered Places” for 2004. Reflecting the local,
citywide and statewide significance of this building, 2 Columbus
circle was co-nominated to the National Trust’s for Historic
Preservation’s “11 Most” list in January by
LANDMARK
WEST!, Historic Districts Council, and The
Preservation League of New York State.
“Although 2 Columbus Circle has no official
designation, its prominent location and iconic visual quality
make this building universally recognizable as a ‘landmark’
at this bustling Manhattan crossroads where Midtown meets the
Upper West Side,” said Kate Wood, Executive Director of
LANDMARK WEST! “We are so incredibly proud of the Trust
for bringing the debate over the future of 2 Columbus Circle to
the national arena, where it belongs. Edward Durell Stone and
2 Columbus Circle are true American originals. Preserving this
legacy is not just a local skirmish – it is a nation-wide
campaign.”
According to Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director
of New York’s Historic Districts Council (HDC), "Edward
Durell Stone’s museum building at 2 Columbus Circle is more
than just a funky 60’s building – it’s an icon
of New York in the middle of the last century. Its playful rejection
of glass and steel modernism continues to make a strong statement.
Preservationists have been working for seven years to save this
distinctive façade from demolition by design, and we’re
thrilled that the National Trust is bringing its national purview
to the effort. ”
“While structures from the 18th and 19th
century are the focal points of popular appreciation and preservation
efforts, the importance of buildings from the recent past has
not been as widely embraced,” said Scott P. Heyl, President
of the Preservation League of New York State. “The League
has been working to ensure that significant architectural contributions
from the modern era are given the attention they deserve, and
we are delighted that the National Trust has joined in our efforts
to preserve a building that represents a remarkable moment in
the evolution of the modern architectural vocabulary.”
The League included 2 Columbus Circle on its 2003
list of Seven
to Save endangered properties. In recent years, the
League has added a number of modern works to this list, including
Edward Durell Stone’s A. Conger Goodyear House (1938); the
Edgar J. Kaufmann Conference Rooms designed by Alvar Aalto (1965);
and Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal (1956-60).
Groups supporting preservation of 2 Columbus Circle – or
at least holding a hearing before the New York City Landmarks
Preservation Commission – include: DOCOMOMO, Municipal Art
Society, New York Landmarks Conservancy, Fine Arts Federation,
Modern Architecture Working Group, Committee for Environmentally
Sound Development, New York Artists Equity Association, Clinton
Special District, Coalition for a Livable Westside, Committee
for Post War Architecture, and the Recent Past Preservation Network.
Individual supporters of 2 Columbus Circle include Tom Wolfe;
Robert A.M. Stern, architect; Chuck Close, artist; Frank Stella,
artist; Barry Bergdoll, architectural historian; Stanislaus von
Moos, architectural historian; Theodore Prudon, architect; along
with many others.
