The museum, which collects European academic art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, is now squeezed into a cramped, second-floor gallery of a midtown building on Fifth Avenue. Not only isn't there enough office space, there's no room for educational programs or even the museum's permanent collection. Of the 3,000 works of art that the museum owns, none are currently on display, according to Dahesh Director David Farmer. Citing a confidentiality agreement that was signed when the museum submitted its proposal to the city, Farmer wouldn't elaborate on the bid price or plans. He confirmed that the museum met with city officials two weeks ago to make its case again for the site and that officials were careful about setting a specific time as to when a decision would be made.
Farmer is also a fan of the building itself.
For instance, it has a curved facade that echoes the circle, which none of the other buildings have. There's also a question of how Columbus Circle would look if the building were razed. Two Columbus Circle was one of the earliest reactions to the high, modernist structures being built out of steel and glass at the time, according to accounts. In a way, the backlash against such constructions has had a renewed vigor on the West Side, as various projects have been sprouting up one of them Trump's 16-building development on the Hudson River. Environmentally, we're choking here with too much development.