Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum: A NYC Landmark Building

The Guggenheim Museum: Historical NYC Landmark Buildings

The Guggenheim Museum is a world-renowned museum in New York City that features a wide variety of art, from ancient to contemporary. The museum was founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and his wife, Peggy Guggenheim. Today, the Guggenheim is one of the most visited museums in the world, with more than two million visitors each year.

The Guggenheim's collection spans a wide range of art media, from ancient Egyptian antiques to contemporary paintings and sculptures. Highlights of the museum's collection include the Mona Lisa, which is the most-visited painting in the world.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Photo by Sophie Louisnard from Pexels

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is an art museum located on the most expensive New Yorkian street, 1070 Fifth Avenue, in the Manhattan District (See situation below). It is today considered one of the NYC landmark buildings, and worthwhile. It is the continual home of an increasing collection of Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, early Moderns, and contemporary arts in general, and also features special exhibitions throughout the year.

The Guggenheim Museum in Brief History

The museum often referred to as The Guggenheim Museum NYC was established and founded by Solomon R. Guggenheim in 1939 as the "Museum of Non-Objective Painting", with direct influence and under the guidance of its first manager, Hilla von Rebay. It was first inaugurated on a rented lot and adopted its current name in 1952 three years of its founder's death.

The project turned into a complicated struggle between the architect and his clients, on the one hand, city officials, the art world, and public opinion on the other hand. Unfortunately, in 1959 both Guggenheim and Wright died before the completion of the building; The brilliant result, i.e. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, witnessed both Wright's architectural professionalism and the courageous attitude that was characterized by its founders towards the opposition of their project.

The Museum Site-Location Selection: The First Challenge

Meanwhile, Wright didn’t hide his disagreement with Guggenheim's choice of New York City for his future museum: "I can think of several more desirable places in the world to build his great museum," Wright wrote in 1949 to Arthur Holden, a Canadian writer, "but we will have to try New York." he added.

For Wright, the city was already overbuilt, overpopulated, and in need of an architectural identity.

Despite his preference for another site, he proceeded with his client's wish and considered locations on 36th Street, 54th Street, and Park Avenue (all in "Manhattan"), as well as in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, before settling down on the actual lot on the Fifth Avenue, between 88th and 89th Streets, as shown above. (See directions map above)

The Architect picked a site next to Central Park, connecting the museum with Nature, Photo: www.architecturaldigest.com

The park's greenery and fresh environment with the existence of water inside, assure freedom to the museum from New York's distraction and pollution.

Wright, who worked on his plans for 16 years, imagined that visitors would take the elevator to the top and descend the ramp. However, the museum exhibit begins on the ground floor and visitors should use the ramp on their way up. The galleries were divided the same as the membranes in citrus fruit, with self-contained yet dependent sections. (See the Tweet below)

The particular conception took decades to be entirely assimilated. Originally, the large rotunda was to be accompanied by a small rotunda and a tower. The small rotunda (or monitor the building, as Wright calls it) was intended to house apartments for Rebay and Guggenheim himself, but instead became offices and miscellaneous storage space.

However, Wright's original plan for the tower—artists' studios and apartments—went unrealized and uncompleted, mainly due to financial restrictions reasons. In 1992, as part of the restoration and enlargement of the museum, a tower of 10 stories was added to the original construction and designed by Gwathmey Siegel and Associates Architects, LLC.

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The new extension provides four additional exhibition galleries and after thirty-five years, finally completed Wright's concept for the museum.

In 2001, the "Sackler Center for Arts Education" opened to the public. Located just below the circular void space, this 8,200 sqft education facility includes the Peter B. Lewis Theater, part of Frank Lloyd Wright's original architectural design for the building.

In the end, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is possibly Wright's most expressive presentation, but it is undoubtedly the most important building of his late career. Over time, it is one of the best NYC landmark buildings that rank and stick to their position, ... of course worthily.

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