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The Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park just announced that design firm LEVENBETTS, responsible for the recent renovation of a number of Brooklyn Public Library branches, will lead the final stage of the cultural center’s massive renovation and expansion project, which will also establish a new children’s museum on site.
“Art brings people together, and this expansion will enable the museum to grow and respond to the evolving needs of the many communities we serve,” said Sally Tallant, president and executive director of the Queens Museum, in an official statement about the news. “The Children’s Museum will be the beating heart of the Queens Museum, bringing new energy and excitement to our programs.”
In addition to the family-appropriate destination, the renovation will guarantee state-of-the-art upgrades in energy efficiency and operational support throughout the space alongside $6 million in accessibility enhancements.
According to The Architect's Newspaper, LEVENBETTS will also rehabilitate the museum's glass brick south facade, which has not been updated since the structure first went up as the New York City Pavilion for the 1939–1940 New York World’s Fair in the 1930s.
This will actually be the final phase of a $69 million project that’s been going on for nearly 10 years. Back in 2013, the effort kicked off with a 70% footprint expansion that birthed a new exhibition space.
The Architect's Newspaper reports that construction is scheduled to begin in 2023 or 2024, so we’ve got some time until the new iteration of the museum becomes a reality.
Until then, though, you should still visit the cultural center, which is home to the the Panorama of the City of New York, an eye-catching urban model of the city that we call ours that was conceived by Robert Moses for the 1964 World's Fair. Built by over 100 people over the course of three years, the panorama still remains one of the most beautiful and unique attraction in all of New York.