Museum Of Fine Arts Houston At 1001 Bissonnet St.

[brijonmang]

Courtesy of Bobruss:

Edited April 12, 2016 by brijonmang

[cloud713]

Any word on a start date for the Lake Flato conservation building? Last year they mentioned construction was going to start this year.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Spotted a base for a second tower crane.

[hindesky]

Second tower crane has been up for several weeks now.

[hindesky]

The northern portion is going really deep.

 

[Urbannizer]

Live webcam:

 

http://www.earthcam.net/projects/museumoffinearts/houston/rwd.php?cam=live

 

[Urbannizer]

Plat filed for phase III

 

SubdivisionPlatPDF_MuseumofFineArtsSec2.pdf

[Urbannizer]

 

[nativehoustonion]

Amazing, global city or what? 

[hindesky]

 

[Twinsanity02]

Anyone know how much exhibit space after the expansion and how this will compare to the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery, or the Boston MFA? It seems as if the MFAH is doubling in size after all is finished. 

[Twinsanity02]

I do not claim scientific accuracy in these numbers. The MFAH buildings Law and Beck have a reported square footage of 130,000. The expansion is adding over 240,000 square feet. If these numbers are accurate the MFAH will be larger than the Art Institute of Chicago, which I believe is the 2nd largest in the US. . Of course it is the collection and staff which determine quality, but still that is one big expansion.

[Twinsanity02]

p.s The Glasell 80,000 sq ft building should probably not be included in my previous estimates, nevertheless the additional 164,000 sq ft  expansion will place the MFAH in the big leagues in term of size.

[bobruss]

Twinsanity02 your right the Glassell will primarily be classroom and studio space for the school. I'm sure there will be an exhibition space but I don't think that will count toward exhibition space for the museum. Nor will any of the Lake Flato conservation addition be counted towards exhibition space, but all will combine to make the MFAH one of a very select few in terms of campus size and overall development. Exciting times with this and the Menil drawing institute going up.

[strickn]

There are at least five ways of adding up the physical plants of the largest art museums.  You've got total indoor space; total indoor public space; total indoor and outdoor programmable space; total indoor gallery space.  The fifth would be to include parking garages, which I've only seen St. Louis try to do.  

The MFAH's quick facts page must use one of the first three methods to arrive at their statistic of "300,000 square feet devoted to the display of art," because the Houston Press and the Rice Design Alliance have found figures between 130,000 and 160,000 square feet for our actual gallery space.  

Reports at the time Moneo's Beck Building opened said that MFAH was leaping to sixth-largest nationally.  As far as I can calculate, when we include not only the new Kinder Building but the new Glassell replacement and the new 30,000-square-foot Blaffer Conservation Center, MFAH's total indoor space (the first measure) will soon be back in the top ten nationally, maybe even number six again.

 

Museums use their bragging rights rather unscientifically, so I don't blame Twinsanity for being unable to make a definitive listing.

Edited September 6, 2016 by strickn

[strickn]

Just so I'm the only one who wastes my time, here's the fine breakdown:

 

 

160,000 sf  (Caroline Wiess Law)

193 or 216 (Audrey Jones Beck)

42 Glassell  (now demolished)

42 Ctrl Admin and Junior School

 

-- before the latest expansion our facilities were/are around 450,000 square feet, then.

If you count Bayou Bend and Rienzi then you have to track down the houses owned by other art museums, to be fair.

So many other museums were expanding art facilities that we are now around #13 nationally, by this measure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

160 law (73 gallery)
193 beck (85 gallery)
164 kinder (54 gallery)
80  replacement glassell
42  central admin and junior school
30  blaffer atop existing garage

669 total (212 gallery),  drawing from http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/light-touch-6565162 and other sources

or

 

160 law (62 gallery)
216 beck (68 gallery)
164 kinder (54 gallery)

80  replacement glassell

42  central admin and junior school

30 blaffer atop existing garage

692 total (184 gallery),  drawing from the more recent offcite.org/ontologically-every-thing-is-unique-behind-the-curtain-at-the-mfah/

[Twinsanity02]

Thank you for the numbers. You are correct it is confusing. If I understand this, the museum is expanding in excess of 200,000 sq. ft some will be exhibition space most will be other uses. 

[Houston19514]

3 hours ago, strickn said:

Just so I'm the only one who wastes my time, here's the fine breakdown:

 

 

160,000 sf  (Caroline Wiess Law)

193 or 216 (Audrey Jones Beck)

42 Glassell  (now demolished)

42 Ctrl Admin and Junior School

 

-- before the latest expansion our facilities were/are around 450,000 square feet, then.

If you count Bayou Bend and Rienzi then you have to track down the houses owned by other art museums, to be fair.

So many other museums were expanding art facilities that we are now around #13 nationally, by this measure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

160 law (73 gallery)
193 beck (85 gallery)
164 kinder (54 gallery)
80  replacement glassell
42  central admin and junior school
30  blaffer atop existing garage

669 total (212 gallery),  drawing from http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/light-touch-6565162 and other sources

or

 

160 law (62 gallery)
216 beck (68 gallery)
164 kinder (54 gallery)

80  replacement glassell

42  central admin and junior school

30 blaffer atop existing garage

692 total (184 gallery),  drawing from the more recent offcite.org/ontologically-every-thing-is-unique-behind-the-curtain-at-the-mfah/

Curious about who might have moved ahead of us since the completion of the Beck Building.

[strickn]

6 hours ago, Twinsanity02 said:

Thank you for the numbers. You are correct it is confusing. If I understand this, the museum is expanding in excess of 200,000 sq. ft some will be exhibition space most will be other uses. 

 

Correct.

Again not claiming scientific accuracy, here are the largest US museums after current expansions, first by actual gallery space, then by usable space minus plazas and parking:

 

 

(in thousands of square feet):

750 - the Met, NY (20__ -- Chipperfield expansion of 180 to >2200 now on hold)  link  link

284 - NGA, DC (2016) out of 1400  link

284 - Philadelphia (202_) out of almost 800 after Gehry subterranean additions

280 - Art Inst. Chicago out of almost 1000

270 - LACMA, LA out of 500-something (staying about the same in its controversial expansion)

250 - Mass MoCA (2017) out of ___ total indoor  link

240 - dia:Beacon (2003) out of ___ total indoor  link

221 - MFA Boston (2010) out of 617 total indoor  link

212 - MFAH (2019) out of 669 total indoor

205 - MoMA (2018) out of 1023 total indoor in three sites (Midtown, P.S.1, QNS)

196 - Smithsonian (Hirshhorn 60, Freer/Sackler 41, Old Patent Office 95) out of 197+115+333

N/A - Dallas (1993) out of 516 total indoor

161 - Minneapolis (2016) out of 473 total indoor

152 - Detroit (2007) out of 658 total indoor  link

145 - SFMOMA (2015) out of 460 total indoor

140 - Brooklyn Museum out of 560 total indoor

137 - Milwaukee (2015) out of 341 total indoor  link

135 - SLAM (2012) out of 350 total indoor

134 - VMFA, Richmond (2010) out of 545 total indoor  link

130 - Cleveland (2014) out of 636 total indoor

130 - Nelson-Atkins (2007) out of 400 total indoor

117 - Denver (2010) out of 406 total indoor  link

110 - Carnegie, Pittsburgh ( ) out of ___ total indoor

106 - the Getty, LA (2006) combining two sites: Getty Villa 210 and Center 940) out of 1150

100 - Peabody Essex (2019) out of ___ total indoor

94 - High, Atlanta (2010) out of 312 total indoor

86 - Toledo (2006) out of 370 total indoor  link

N/A - Cincinnati (2003) out of 282 total indoor

84 - de Young, SF (2005) out of 292 total indoor  link

N/A - Kimbell, FW (2014) out of 221 total indoor

 

I left off Oakland and Indianapolis since I couldn't get satisfactory breakdowns.

 

and by total indoors:

 

2250 - the Met (two sites - including the old Whitney building)

1400 - National Gallery of Art complex

1150 - the Getty, LA (both sites)

1023 - MoMA (all sites)

1000 - Art Institute of Chicago complex

800 - Philadelphia

669 - Houston entire upcoming campus

658 - Detroit

645 - Smithsonian four art museums, downtown DC

636 - Cleveland

617 - Boston

560 - Brooklyn

545 - Richmond, VA

 

 

[H-Town Man]

13 hours ago, strickn said:

 

Correct.

Again not claiming scientific accuracy, here are the largest US museums after current expansions, first by actual gallery space, then by usable space minus plazas and parking:

 

 

(in thousands of square feet):

750 - the Met, NY (20__ -- Chipperfield expansion of 180 to >2200 now on hold)  link  link

284 - NGA, DC (2016) out of 1400  link

284 - Philadelphia (202_) out of almost 800 after Gehry subterranean additions

280 - Art Inst. Chicago out of almost 1000

270 - LACMA, LA out of 500-something (staying about the same in its controversial expansion)

250 - Mass MoCA (2017) out of ___ total indoor  link

240 - dia:Beacon (2003) out of ___ total indoor  link

221 - MFA Boston (2010) out of 617 total indoor  link

212 - MFAH (2019) out of 669 total indoor

205 - MoMA (2018) out of 1023 total indoor in three sites (Midtown, P.S.1, QNS)

196 - Smithsonian (Hirshhorn 60, Freer/Sackler 41, Old Patent Office 95) out of 197+115+333

N/A - Dallas (1993) out of 516 total indoor

161 - Minneapolis (2016) out of 473 total indoor

152 - Detroit (2007) out of 658 total indoor  link

145 - SFMOMA (2015) out of 460 total indoor

140 - Brooklyn Museum out of 560 total indoor

137 - Milwaukee (2015) out of 341 total indoor  link

135 - SLAM (2012) out of 350 total indoor

134 - VMFA, Richmond (2010) out of 545 total indoor  link

130 - Cleveland (2014) out of 636 total indoor

130 - Nelson-Atkins (2007) out of 400 total indoor

117 - Denver (2010) out of 406 total indoor  link

110 - Carnegie, Pittsburgh ( ) out of ___ total indoor

106 - the Getty, LA (2006) combining two sites: Getty Villa 210 and Center 940) out of 1150

100 - Peabody Essex (2019) out of ___ total indoor

94 - High, Atlanta (2010) out of 312 total indoor

86 - Toledo (2006) out of 370 total indoor  link

N/A - Cincinnati (2003) out of 282 total indoor

84 - de Young, SF (2005) out of 292 total indoor  link

N/A - Kimbell, FW (2014) out of 221 total indoor

 

I left off Oakland and Indianapolis since I couldn't get satisfactory breakdowns.

 

and by total indoors:

 

2250 - the Met (two sites - including the old Whitney building)

1400 - National Gallery of Art complex

1150 - the Getty, LA (both sites)

1023 - MoMA (all sites)

1000 - Art Institute of Chicago complex

800 - Philadelphia

669 - Houston entire upcoming campus

658 - Detroit

645 - Smithsonian four art museums, downtown DC

636 - Cleveland

617 - Boston

560 - Brooklyn

545 - Richmond, VA

 

 

 

Laudable work. Does Met include the Cloisters?

 

[Twinsanity02]

11 minutes ago, H-Town Man said:

 

Laudable work. Does Met include the Cloisters?

 

Thanks Strickn. Great job. Loads of info. Going to study these numbers. 

[rechlin]

One more missing from your list is Crystal Bridges.  They currently have 217k total indoor but are working on an expansion for contemporary arts, and they also have a pretty huge outdoor area (I'm not sure if the 217k indoor figure includes the Frank Lloyd Wright house, for example).

[H-Town Man]

5 minutes ago, rechlin said:

One more missing from your list is Crystal Bridges.  They currently have 217k total indoor but are working on an expansion for contemporary arts, and they also have a pretty huge outdoor area (I'm not sure if the 217k indoor figure includes the Frank Lloyd Wright house, for example).

 

Holy moly, I did not know it was that big. Good for Arkansas.

 

[strickn]

I went to the Benton County assessor to settle the Crystal Bridges question, but they didn't measure the exempted improvements, so no luck.  But it has only eight galleries and I think Architectural Record was onto something when it reported 93,000 total square feet at the time of opening.  Several other sources including the Schnabel (engineers) and Safdie firms at that time said 93 or 100,000, and then it seems perhaps the 217 figure resonated with somebody later (or they pulled a St Louis and counted the parking garages).

After the 63,000-square-foot downtown Bentonville center opens, that will put it more like the size of nearby Tulsa's excellent Philbrook art museum (which opened a 28,000-total-square-foot downtown location three years ago, in addition to its main campus of between 110 and 125,000 square feet), and not large enough for this list.

 

 

I guess the Cloisters were included in the Met's facilities figure, but I can't prove it.

 

Thanks for the appreciation.  It is sort of my parting gift to the forum.  I am leaving this weekend and moving to Europe.  All my documents are in order, but I don't know if it'll be for good or not.  Maybe if Kaine is president I'll come back

Edited September 8, 2016 by strickn

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

Southern portion is at grade level and the northern portion has risen several stories above grade.

 

[Urbannizer]

There was no deep dig for the portion that's a few floors above ground. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoninATX]

Lookin good Houston!