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Ribbon Cutting: Queens Museum

October 30, 2013

On Wednesday, October 30, the Queens Museum inaugurated its newly expanded 105,000 sq. ft. home with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, DDC Commissioner David J. Burney, and several other local officials. Queens Museum Executive Director Tom Finkelpearl led the celebration, and announced a future addition, to be completed by 2015, that will create a branch of the Queens Library inside the Queens Museum itself, the first partnership of its kind in the country.

Located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Queens Museum was founded in 1972 to provide a cultural center for the most ethnically-diverse county in the United States. The newly-renovated and expanded Queens Museum allows the museum to fill the entirety of the New York City Building, the site of two World’s Fairs and the first United Nations General Assembly -- and the only remaining structure from the 1939 World’s Fair.

Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the expansion doubles the size of the institution, adding 50,000 square feet of new galleries, classrooms, public event spaces, a café and a museum shop. A new suite of six galleries ranging from 800 to 2400 square feet surrounds a central large-works gallery, allowing for concurrent exhibits and flexible curatorial choices. The museum also has a significant educational component; its expansion will provide several new classrooms and support spaces. This expansion will allow the museum to enhance its outreach to schools and community organizations, further positioning the museum as a cultural center for the entire borough.