Thursday, August 10, 2017

Report: LPC signs off on expansion for the Anthology Film Archives

On Tuesday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission OK'd the long-time-coming expansion of the Anthology Film Archives on Second Avenue and Second Street.

DNAinfo's Allegra Hobbs was at the hearing. She has more background on the expansion, which has been in the works for years:

The landmarked structure operated as a courthouse until 1979, when Anthology Film Archives bought it to renovate and convert into a theater and archive space. Anthology moved into the building from its original Wooster Street location and reopened there in 1988.

But the renovation carried out by renowned architect Raimund Abraham remained incomplete for decades, said [co-founder Jonas] Mekas and architect Kevin Bone, who said at the hearing there had been many proposals for the completed project before the final one.

"We did all we could to get the Anthology doing what the Anthology did best, which is to start showing the great art works of the independent cinema," he said of the initial renovation, which he undertook as an architect with Abraham. "So here we are, now 35 years later."

The design from Bone/Levine Architects includes an additional story that will house the Anthology's library as well as a cafe on the ground floor, archival storage space and an elevator.

To help pay for the $6 million expansion, the Anthology staged a fundraising auction back in March featuring donated works by Cindy Sherman, Robert Frank and Chuck Close, among others. In addition, as artnet reported, Maja Hoffmann’s LUMA Foundation pledged $3 million toward the library.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Checking in on the 'completion project' at the Anthology Film Archives
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1 comment:

  1. JayAugust 25, 2017 at 12:03 AM

    Actually it stopped being a courthouse well before 1979. Millennium film workshop moved in there in the sixties

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