Hudson River Museum Announces New West Wing Project and Expansion

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YONKERS, NY, November 10, 2020 — Hudson River Museum is thrilled to announce that its long-awaited West Wing capital improvement project will break ground in November 2020. The project, made possible by previously-allocated funding from Westchester County, the City of Yonkers, and New York State, includes much-needed improvements including, for the first time, dedicated special exhibition galleries with exhilarating views, a sculpture court, a 100 tiered-seat auditorium, necessary art storage space, and a climate control system, all of which will allow the Museum to organize and present cutting-edge exhibitions. The project will also allow the Museum to display and interpret far more of its permanent collection while ensuring proper storage and safekeeping of the Museum’s repository of cultural heritage. Learn more about the project here.

Designed by Archimuse, the West Wing project expands the Museum from approximately 40,000 to 52,000 square feet while seamlessly integrating the enhancements with the existing Museum campus, including its center Courtyard and the view of the Hudson River and Palisades. The West Wing is the culmination of a multi-phased Master Plan begun in 2002, which included the creation of a new education center and a 400-seat outdoor amphitheater. Over the years, additional capital improvements were made to the Museum’s entrance and lobby and critically needed updates were made to exhibition galleries and a new special events space.

The capital project, which will promote area job growth during construction, will enable the Museum to bring a world-class museum experience to all in Westchester and the metropolitan area. The Museum is grateful to the Westchester County Board of Legislators, the City of Yonkers, and New York State for their combined $12.28M of support and for their successful efforts at enabling this funding to serve the universe of Museum visitors. GTL Construction has been selected as the vendor to complete the first phase of the West Wing project, following a comprehensive public bid process administered by the City of Yonkers.

“The Hudson River Museum is a national treasure,” said Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “Through partnership at all levels of government, we were able to deliver the investment needed to begin this important project. These new improvements will ensure the museum can broaden its offerings, and continue to make a significant impact in our community and across the State.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer stated, “Cultural appreciation is a keystone of our County and its residents. This project will provide one of Westchester’s most important cultural institutions the foundation it needs to continue serving our communities with its nationally renowned programs and exhibitions. Helping to fund this project, without having to allocate any new funds, is a great investment in the future of Westchester County as a cultural destination.”

“This is a long-term investment in our diverse Westchester community. This project will provide one of the County’s most important cultural institutions the foundation it needs to continue serving residents well into the 21st century.” Benjamin Boykin II, Chairman, Westchester County Board of Legislators.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano added, “We are proud that for many residents in Westchester and the New York area, a trip to the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers is their first museum experience. This project will ensure that the Museum remains a prestigious, nationally recognized institution, able to expand its offerings to the public, and ready to inspire future generations in our City and beyond.”

Tom D’Auria, HRM Board of Trustees Chair, expressed, “The Hudson River Museum is proud to move forward toward the completion of this long-planned project, a key component of the institution’s master plan. This capital project will enable us to bring a premier museum experience to all in Westchester and the Metropolitan area.”

Masha Turchinsky, HRM Director and CEO, stated, “These exciting capital enhancements will allow the Hudson River Museum to welcome our community, embrace new ideas, and protect the collections that we can all learn from together. More than just additional space, this expansion project will allow the HRM to rethink how we present and share art and offer something new and inspiring every time you visit.”

Special Exhibition Galleries and Sculpture Court

The Special Exhibitions Galleries, a space of 3,350 square feet, is a fifteen-foot tall specialized facility designed to display world-class art and adhere to rigorous industry conservation standards. It will graciously accommodate the widest range of changing exhibitions and lender requirements, and allow for an exciting variety of installation, performance, multimedia, and large-scale art. It will simultaneously allow the Museum to exhibit far more of its own collections on a permanent basis. The Museum is proud to announce that the new galleries will include an inviting space for displays that will feature local and emerging artists, including work by artists-in-residence, community collaborations, and partnerships with schools.

In the center of the Special Exhibitions Gallery is a cantilevered glass overlook, which provides a dramatic three-sided panoramic view of the Hudson River and the majestic Palisades, inviting spaces for relaxation and contemplation. It is the West Wing’s scenic gesture and ultimate tribute to the natural beauty that surrounds it.

The West Wing’s interior Sculpture Court will provide dedicated space, filled with natural light, in which to experience significant works from the permanent collection with a clear view to the Museum’s Courtyard, Glenview, and the Hudson River. Many of these sculptures have rarely been on view during the past several decades due to space constraints.

Auditorium and River Terrace

The West Wing will include a tiered 100-seat, state-of-the-art Auditorium, responding to the natural cascading grade. The universally accessible Auditorium will allow the Museum to present multimedia presentations and performances, film and video projection, dance, lectures, and panel discussions.

The existing outdoor patio adjoining the Auditorium will be transformed into the River Terrace. The Terrace will be upgraded with a new concrete slab and sleek glass parapet, connecting the Auditorium with the Hudson Room, the Museum’s special events space overlooking the River.

Art Storage

The new 3,000 square-foot art storage will meet stringent requirements imposed by lender organizations and the American Alliance of Museums to ensure safe housing and display of artwork and conform with current professional standards for collections management and storage.

Subsequent planned phases include the following improvements:

Glenview Historic House

The exterior of Glenview, the Museum’s beautiful and important 1877 riverfront home on the National Register of Historic Places and fashioned in an eclectic Late Victorian style, will receive much-needed conservation to its stone and woodwork, roof, and windows. Designed by Charles W. Clinton, the noteworthy architect of New York’s Park Avenue Armory building, Glenview’s period rooms are furnished with some of the finest Victorian art and decorative arts in harmony with the high style architecture of the building.

Museum Roof Repair

The Museum’s existing 1969 building, its galleries and planetarium, urgently need a new roof. A technologically advanced roof surface will be installed on the entire 20,000 square foot existing Museum building roof and high-performance insulation will increase energy efficiency.

About the Hudson River Museum

Hudson River Museum is a preeminent cultural institution in Westchester County and the New York Metropolitan area. Situated on the banks of the Hudson River in Yonkers, New York, the Museum’s mission is to engage, inspire, and connect diverse communities through the power of the arts, sciences, and history.

The Museum offers engaging experiences for every age and interest, with an ever-growing collection of American art; dynamic exhibitions that range from notable nineteenth-century paintings to contemporary art installations; Glenview, an 1877 house on the National Register of Historic Places; a state-of-the-art Planetarium; an environmental teaching gallery; and an outdoor Amphitheater. Accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM), the Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting these multidisciplinary offerings, which are complemented by an array of public programs that encourage creative expression, collaboration, and artistic and scientific discovery.

In 2019, the Museum broke visitation records, with more than 76,000 visitors hailing from 42 states across the United States. We are proud that 69% of our public calls Westchester home. In the last year alone we served more than 25,000 students and 100 schools from throughout the County. Our nationally acclaimed Junior Docent teen leadership program—now in its 25th year and stronger than ever!—has been widely recognized for expanding students’ knowledge of art, science, and history while strengthening skills in communication, critical thinking, and leadership. The Program has been recognized by the White House as a standard-bearer for youth achievement. We are committed to excellence and accessibility in our community, and we are proud to serve audiences as diverse as the region itself.

The Hudson River Museum was recently recognized with Awards for Excellence in programs and community leadership from the Museum Association of NY, the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, and heralded as a worldwide finalist for a Global Fine Art Award, from a pool of 2000 exhibitions from 27 countries for the exhibition Maya Lin: A River Is a Drawing. The recent exhibition, Derrick Adams: Buoyant, was featured in national publications including Forbes Magazine, Artnet News, and British GQ.

About Archimuse

Archimuse, led by Benjamin D. Kracauer, AIA, Principal, Architect and Reuben S. Jackson, RA, Principal, Architect, was founded in 1990 to directly address the goals and aspirations of the museum community: to conserve, to study, to interpret, and to exhibit. Archimuse provides fully integrated services and support necessary to fulfill these mandates. With its programmatic approach to planning, architecture and design, and coordinated and diversified methodology, Archimuse offers a uniquely balanced expertise to the planning and building process.

Other Archimuse clients and successful projects include the Brooklyn Museum of Art; Carnegie Museum of Art; Connecticut Historical Society; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum at Eldridge Street; Museum of Modern Art; Museum of Yachting, Newport, Rhode Island; New-York Historical Society; Oakes Museum of Natural History at Messiah College; Orange County Museum of Art: Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin & Marshall College; Urban Cultural Parks in Cohoes and Buffalo, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art.