$26M gift paves way for world class museum at MSU

[RustTown]

This is really huge. The fact that the design competition includes two international firms gives me hope that we may be seeing a very interesting and modern design. Apparently, this is the single largest monetary gift Michigan State has ever received.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic...PDATE/706010436

$26M gift paves way for world class museum at MSU

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State University will be the site of a new modern art museum, thanks to a $26 million donation from MSU alumnus Eli Broad and his wife, Edythe.

The 42,000-square-foot structure, to be called the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, will eventually house the university's art collection, which is currently in the Kresge Art Museum on campus, university leaders announced this morning

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The firms selected for the competiton include:

1. Zaha Hadid (London) - http://www.zaha-hadid.com/

2. Coop Himmelblau (Vienna) - http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/

3. Morphosis (Santa Monica) - http://www.morphosis.net/

4. Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects (New York City) - http://www.kpf.com/

5. Randall Stout (Los Angeles) - http://www.stoutarc.com/

Other articles state the museum is to start construction sometime next year, and be completed in 2010. It will be located prominently along Grand River Avenue near the Collingwood Entrance. Unforunately, the historic Paolucci Building will be torn down. This will also be MSU's first building to open directly onto Grand River Avenue, as opposed to all the rest that oepn onto West Circle Drive turning their backs to the avenue.

[RustTown]

Here's the Lansing State Journal's take on this, and a more detailed description being a local paper:

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../706020330/1347

$26M gift to launch Eli, Edythe Broad Art Museum in E.L.

EAST LANSING - The new home of Michigan State University's art collection will be large enough to accommodate massive modern installations and pieces from the current collection relegated to storage.

The new building and adjacent sculpture garden will straddle the line between campus and the East Lansing community.

And, most likely, it will be a building like nothing East Lansing has ever seen.

[statedude3]

Interesting that downtown EL will be bookended by Museums soon. Remember, the MSU Museum will be moving to Grand River and Abbott.

[RustTown]

I'm really not sure how solid that plan still is. I actually wrote the city about this a few days ago, and here was the response:

"The developer, city, and university are continuing to explore the economic feasibility of including the MSU Museum in the project. We are probably several months from any decision on that component. Should the museum not be included, we still expect the project to move forward with substitute uses for the museum portion."

This thing has been under study for a few years now, and I really think that this means that the developer was never really sure about this one. Let's just say I'll be surprised if this thing is built, and that if it is that it's not scaled back significantly.

[sabatoa]

I'm really not sure how solid that plan still is. I actually wrote the city about this a few days ago, and here was the response:

"The developer, city, and university are continuing to explore the economic feasibility of including the MSU Museum in the project. We are probably several months from any decision on that component. Should the museum not be included, we still expect the project to move forward with substitute uses for the museum portion."

This thing has been under study for a few years now, and I really think that this means that the developer was never really sure about this one. Let's just say I'll be surprised if this thing is built, and that if it is that it's not scaled back significantly.