THE METROPOLITAN

MUSEUM OF ART

1000 5TH AVE, NEW YORK, NY

10028, UNITED STATES

Jingco, Xandra Ylaine R. TOARCH1 - FINAL PROJECT ODAR5

 The Metropolitan Museum of Art contains one of the most
important collections of art on Earth. From ancient Egypt to the
present, this museum boasts more than five million works in its
collection. The building itself is no less impressive: the museum's
imposing Greek Revival edifice was designed in the 1850s by
American architect James Renwick Jr., and was completed in 1869.
Now open to the public, the museum's structure contains 1,300
rooms that tell the story of art history from Egypt through Europe and
North America. It is the largest art museum in the United States.
Formally incorporated as a municipal gallery in 1870 and chartered
by New York State in 1870 as one of New York City’s public
institutions, the museum has collections that span over 5,000 years of
world culture.
 WILLIAM RUTHERFORD MEAD

The history of this enormous building is fairly

straightforward: It started as a work by a French
architect and has been continually improved upon
since that time. The story continues on through the
years, with alterations made every few decades,
some in major ways and others not so much. But
these changes were all well intended to keep the
museum’s operations running smoothly and its
collection up to date. Architecture historians will
appreciate a map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s
history, from its design in 1897 by William Rutherford
Mead, to the 1970s renovation by Solomon R.
Guggenheim, to its current postmodern architect,
Renzo Piano.
 Opened in the spring of 1909, the museum is located in Central Park, at the north end of 79th Street
and Fifth Avenue, on the outskirts of a desirable residential and shopping neighborhood, and easily
accessible by foot or private and public transit. However, the Upper East Side was still sparsely
inhabited in the 1870s. The roadways were built on abandoned farmland, although they were not yet
entirely paved. However, there were reservations about huge buildings in the park from the start. The
1853 plan did not have any such buildings. The lone museum, according to the plan, would be situated
in an existing edifice, the New York State Arsenal at 64th and Fifth Avenue. The building closely
resembles another McKim, Mead & White design – the Rookery Building at 130 Madison Avenue in
Manhattan.

MAP OF THE CENTRAL PARK IN THE 1800S

Opened in the spring of 1909, the museum is located in

Central Park, at the north end of 79th Street and Fifth
Avenue, on the outskirts of a desirable residential and
shopping neighborhood, and easily accessible by foot
or private and public transit. However, the Upper East
Side was still sparsely inhabited in the 1870s. The
roadways were built on abandoned farmland, although
they were not yet entirely paved. However, there were
reservations about huge buildings in the park from the
start. The 1853 plan did not have any such buildings.
The lone museum, according to the plan, would be
situated in an existing edifice, the New York State
Arsenal at 64th and Fifth Avenue. The building closely
resembles another McKim, Mead & White design – the
Rookery Building at 130 Madison Avenue in Manhattan. UPPER EAST SIDE

The architect’s attribution when building the metropolitan museum of art was John Russell Pope (1902-
1980). A group of 120 architects and artists from around the world who were invited to design elements
of the interior space. It is often known as Pope’s masterpiece because the clarity and simplicity of his
design yet simultaneously conveys such a sense of grandness.
 EXAMPLE OF RUSKINIAN GOTHIC REVIVAL STRUCTURE

Vaux and Mould brought to America a deep commitment to the

Gothic Revival: not the monochromatic early English designs of
established Gothic Revivalists like James Renwick, but the bold
eclecticism of High Victorian Gothic, inspired by John Ruskin's
recent writings, "The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1849)" and "The
Stones of Venice (1851-53)". The greatest architectural critic of the
day, John Ruskin, was a fervent supporter of the Italian
Romanesque and Gothic (especially venetian) styles. The
"Ruskinian," or High Victorian Gothic, that became synonymous
with his name was strong and vertical; its most noticeable
elements, of clear Italian provenance, were multicolored brickwork,
CALVERT VAUX
often dubbed "permanent polychromy," and the pointed-and-
banded arch.

The first Ruskinian Gothic structures in New York City, the Trinity
Church Parish School of 1860, was by Mould. Much more
influential, however, was the polychrome Venetian Gothic building
by P.B. Wight that won the 1861 competition for the National
Academy of Design. Championed by a generation of English-
trained architects, the High Victorian Gothic reached its apogee in
America in the decade 1865-75. It was the style chosen for a
number of major museums, among them the Metropolitan, the
Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Pennsylvania Academy of
the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
 The architectural background of the structure is discussed by Morrison H. Heckscher, Lawrence A.
Fleischman Chairman of The American Wing, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin's Summer
1995 issue. The article covers the various architectural plans created by more than a dozen architects,
as well as the numerous initial concepts for the Museum, starting with the creation of Central Park.
Heckscher describes the main facade's four caryatids, which stand for the four genres of art—painting,
sculpture, architecture, and music—in detail. This façade later served as the inspiration for McKim,
Mead, and White's 1904 northern and southern additions.

The MET facade

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was an engineering miracle. Its construction was long and arduous,
and so were the years of controversy it provoked. Yet its sculptural work is as natural, unfussy, and
simple as any you’ll find in a small garden or open park. The museum is a local landmark: it has
become a New York City icon. The architectural plan, draft, and design were all essential for ensuring
that the building was a success. All of these ideas were critically important because once the design
was finished and construction began, the changes would be permanent.

Though the original master plan design is no longer

available, a crude replica made after the first Museum
building was finished in 1880 clearly demonstrates
how the rejected idea would have fit into the broader
plan. It was supposed to be in the middle of the
structure, parallel to and directly behind the main Fifth
Avenue entrance.

Original master plan replica

 The master plan has a grid of slender pavilions arranged in six rectangular quadrangles parallel
to Fifth Avenue. The strategy is renowned for its clarity and logic. The huge courtyards provide
for plenty of natural light. The first level galleries are separated into alcoves with exhibition cases
for artifacts, while the second floor galleries with skylights are for paintings and sculpture. The
Central Park map for the fiscal year shows nearly the same idea.
 Exterior sculptural elements

Gallery rotunda

Natural lighting and lightness, Interior courtyard

transparency

Architectural design is a term for the physical form and visual appearance of buildings and structures. It
describes their composition, style and materials. In turn, the aesthetic aspect of architecture is divided
into its structural and functional components. This is one of the more anonymous buildings of its period,
but it has many features that were typical of this time, a sense of lightness and transparency, an open
atrium and terraces, rich ornamentation and generous use of sculptural elements. The Metropolitan
Museum of Art architecture is so elegant and refined-the most important thing being to make sure the
building fits into its surroundings. It’s not just another boxy municipal building, but rather a thing unto
itself-an oasis in the middle of a concrete jungle. Its structure is a palace of stone, marble, and gold; its
treasures more dazzling than any other art collection ever assembled; and its architecture is a work of
genius.

This building is stunning in its architecture and execution. Its beautiful gallery rotunda balances the
museum’s architectural style with its locations that are both historic and modern. It features two-story
arches and a clock on the façade. And being a masterpiece of the Gothic style, the building's exterior
design elements conform to the "lines and planes" that were designed to emphasize the structure and
mass of this building including the use of a glass-enclosed courtyard, numerous interior courtyards, five
entrances to the building, and various types of roof terraces. Moreover, the high ceiling of the Met's
gallery area was a defining element of its exterior design, while the building's ample windows provided
natural light to illuminate its interiors and allow visitors to see their works of art at all times.
 The Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated on April 13, 1870, in what may
have referred to as the finest and the worst times of the following courses;
aftermath of the civil war, new york and the rest of the country in an economic
boom, the nation was repidly expanding. This continued until the 1873 Panic. It
was a time famous for large-scale and innovative undertakings such as the
Atlantic Cable (1866) and the Brooklyn Bridge which opened in 1869, as well as
the establishment of several of the nation’s fantastic cultural institutions. More
than this, it was also a period of severe corruption. The presidency of Ulysses S.
Grant, who was elected president in 1868, was marred by controversy,
particularly stock-trading scams by bankers. In 1869, Jay Gould and James Fisk
made news and the depredations of New York City in 1870, state senator William
Marcy’s treasury, or the “boss”, tweed and the tweed ring were finally revealed.

However, several Museum trustees were critical. The advisory group was
permitted to meet with the parks commissioners to voice their reservations to
the plans as submitted and to convey their expressed "desire for designs of a
simpler and less expensive kind, based on the experience of the South
Keningston Museum." It's easy to understand the committee's apprehension. The
trustees saw elaborate elevations and dramatic domes as too opulent for an
institution starved for operational cash and striving to acquire works of art. The
South Kensington Museum (later the Victoria and Albert) was seen as the perfect
role model from the Metropolitan's inception. Founded in 1851 with no building
or artworks, the South Kensington Museum gained significant collections, a
permanent home in England's capital, and an international reputation in a few
short years.

SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM

 NEW YORK IN THE 1800’S

For many years, New York City’s liberal reform leaders have discussed establishing an art museum.
However, no call to action was issued until October 1869. During a speech to the Union League Club,
the published, George P. Putnam, praised New Yorkers. “Central Park, the city’s “good and credit-
worthy” park able” art academy, and “the riches” of its historical society. And he asked, “Is it not time
to begin something in the shape of a permanent gallery and museum of Art, which… shall be worthy
of the great city of a great nation? In a facility that is large in size dimensions, and completely
fireproof.” The primary requirements for the new structure were that it be large and indestructible—
have received recognitoin over the years in between.

“IS IT NOT TIME TO BEGIN

SOMETHING IN THE SHAPE OF A
PERMANENT GALLERY AND
MUSEUM OF ART, WHICH… SHALL
BE WORTHY OF THE GREAT CITY OF
A GREAT NATION? IN A FACILITY
THAT IS LARGE IN SIZE
DIMENSIONS, AND COMPLETELY
FIREPROOF.”

GEORGE P. PUTNAM
 The Met Fifth Avenue is nearly 14
miles (400 meters) long and has over
2 million square feet (190,000 m2) of
floor space, which is more than 20
times the size of the original 1880
building. The museum building is an
assemblage of over 20 structures,
the majority of which are not visible
from the outside. The City of New
York owns the museum building and
contributes utilities, heat, and a
portion of the cost of guardianship.
The Gerald Cantor Roof Garden is
located on the museum's roof near
the southwestern corner. The
museum's main building was
designated a city landmark by the
New York City Landmarks
Preservation Commission in 1967,
[129], and its interior was recognized
separately by the Landmarks
Preservation Commission in 1977.

AERIAL VIEW OF THE MET

 ONE OF THE SEVEN
WONDERS OF THE
WORLD

-LE CORBIER

It is the home of contemporary, modern art and has been described by Le Corbusier as
"one of the seven wonders of the world". In addition to its iconic steel-and-glass
facade, it boasts one of the world's most unique collections with over two million
pieces on display. From the terracotta urns and lapis lazuli to the limestone walls and
Gothic spires, Metropolitan Museum of Art Architectural Design examines how some of
New York City’s most significant buildings have affected their neighborhoods over the
last century. Since its inception in 1870, The Met has aimed to be more than just a
repository of rare and beautiful items. Every day, art comes to life in the Museum's
galleries, exhibits, and activities, exposing new ideas as well as surprising links across
time and countries.
end.