Expanding Venues In Queens


Queens Museum Of Art
By Emilie Schneider

A transformation will occur at the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing, when a new expansion breaks ground, adding a new lobby, café, and additional classrooms.

Taking over the half of the building currently utilized by the World's Fair Skating Rink, the extra 50,000 square feet will add more storage rooms for artwork and supplies, a new bookstore and a new gallery space for large exhibits or special events. The two halves will unify to create a new experience for visitors.

A $48.5-million expansion unit adds 50,000 square feet to the Queens Museum of Art.

"We are eventually overgrowing our shell," said David Strauss, director of External Affairs, adding that the museum is operating at its capacity.

Two entrances on the east and west sides of the building will welcome visitors into a new lobby, which the museum currently lacks. Large windows and skylights will high light art work and the sun will provide a natural ambiance.

A combination of public and private funds will pay for the $48.5-million expansion.

Although the expansion has a high price tag, visitors will not see a rise in ticket prices, as the museum is committed to the fact that there is voluntary admission.

Five architectural firms were interviewed before the design presented by the Grimshaw firm was selected, for its great ideas and appreciation for the building, said Executive Director Tom Finkelpearl.

The expansion will break ground within the next six months and will take about two years to complete.

"This is a once in a generation opportunity," Finkelpearl said. "I'm extremely excited and we're anxious to get the ground breaking underway. It's going to be a whole different ball game."

Queens Theater In The Park
By Emilie Schneider

Traveling to Manhattan can be an expensive venture for theater goers, but with the newly renovated Queens Theater in the Park, pricey costs of restaurants and transportation can be avoided.

The $23 million expansion at the theater includes an additional 75-seat cabaret performance space with a restaurant, a new reception area and lobby, with more restrooms and visitor accessibility for the 110,000 visitors the theater sees every year.

City funds are underwriting Queens Theatre in the Parks Expansion.

"Our intention was to really improve the amenities for the public," Executive Director Jeff Rosenstock said. "Our goal was to really make it a destination and provide amenities that you would get in Manhattan."

The renovations began two years ago, a year behind schedule, and the theater was open during construction, making it a very complex and challenging job. The idea of the expansion is new spaces, new works, new audiences, as the theater enters a new phase.

"We depend upon you to come multiple times," Rosenstock said. "We are creating an environment that welcomes them [visitors] and we really spent this renovation thinking how can we make this theater better."

Member item grants from the Mayor's and New York City Council offices are funding the project.

"Our elected officials recognized that we brought a million visitors to the theater over the years and had confidence and supported this," Rosenstock said.

The theater is conducting a preview of the space this fall, with an official opening in January.

"I think it is bringing a sense of shared community," Rosenstock said. "We are giving people a chance to see each other."

Museum Of The Moving Image
By NOAH C. ZUSS

The American Museum of the Moving Image has faced challenges as a cultural institution, not in the least of which is it's current expansion effort.

The museum's cultural roots are deep. It is situated on the site of old Astoria Studio, at its time one of the largest motion picture and television production facilities in the world. Astoria Studios was originally built as the Paramount corporations East Coast production facility, completed in 1920.

The Museum of Moving Image’s expansion will make the old Astoria Studios state-of-the-art.

Now the museum is expanding operations to more completely satisfy its growing needs.

The expansion project is expected to cost $65 million with a target date for completion late 2009.

When complete, the new museum will feature a 262-seat theater, a 71-seat viewing room, an education center, expanded gallery space and a courtyard. The expansion project should nearly double the current size of the museum.

To renovate and expand the three-decades-old cultural center which is dedicated to educating "the public about the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media and to examine their impact on culture and society," the museum will close some parts for over a year.

"With this groundbreaking, the Museum of the Moving Image is about to enter an exciting new era of programming and service," said Rochelle Slovin.

Moving Image does not intend to raise admission Slovin said. The original 50,000-square-foot abandoned building was first renovated as a museum after its founding in 1977 as the American Museum if the Moving Image.

For more information on the museum or the renovation project, visit their Web site, MovingImage.us. Admission prices are: $10 adults, $5 children, free on Fridays from 4 to 8 p.m.

Silvercup Studios
By NOAH C. ZUSS

Silvercup Studios, housed in a former flour silo room of the landmark Silvercup Bakery opened in 1983. The landmark sign can be seen from the shoreline and above the buildings while riding the train, driving or walking by the water.

In a short time the studio has embedded itself into the landscape and has since been the site of many award-winning movies and television shows.

In its brief history Silvercup has been home to the HBO smash hit drama The Sopranos, NBC's comedy 30 Rock and Sex and the City.

Silvercup studios’ $1-billion project will become part of the Queens skyline.

The studio is also home to QVC's all-day shopping show, and where thousands of commercials have been taped over the years.

Silvercup has also been the site for several feature films.

These include Music and Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, El Cantante with Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony; and The Devil Wears Prada, with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

Today it is one of the most sought after studios in the country. To satisfy the growing demand the studio will undergo a major expansion to its current facilities.

In 2006 the studio announced a $1 billion plan to expand to the Long Island City waterfront.

The three-building project, to be called Silvercup West, will include eight soundstages, along with 1,000 apartments, a catering hall, museum, and office and retail space. The plans also call for redevelopment of the booming waterfront of the 6-acre site, which will be transformed into a public esplanade.

The expansion plan features towers that will be 49 to 57 stories tall, visible from across the river. They will become a part of the Queens skyline, reflections of the borough's cultural growth.

Silvercup hopes that construction will be completed by 2009.