Like some sort of Island of Misfit Toys, an entirely different New York City could be created purely out of the structures that were designed for the city but never built. Buckminster Fuller’s giant Dome Over Manhattan, I.M. Pei’s Hyperboloid, or Frank Lloyd Wright’s plans for Ellis Island would, individually, have significantly altered the City That Never Sleeps. Together, however, these projects, and hundreds of others that were never realized, would have created a New York City that is drastically different from the one that exists today.
A new exhibition, coming to the Queens Museum in September 2017, will create a gallery dedicated to rarely seen models, sketches, and drawings of dozens of structures designed for New York City but never built. As part of the exhibit, more than 70 models will be installed to the museum’s Panorama of the City of New York, a scale model of Manhattan originally commissioned for the 1964 World’s Fair.
A small portion of the Panorama of the City of New York. Image courtesy of Metropolis Books
The Queens Museum launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to reach a goal of $35,000 to support the installation of the gallery. In addition to showing some of the more imaginative concepts that were never built, the exhibition will also “explore the backstory behind how and why New York City came to look the way it does,” according to the project’s Kickstarter page.
The goal of the exhibit is to showcase many of the fascinating New York projects that never came to fruition and to show how issues such as ecological sustainability, population displacement, and economic inequity are linked to the built environment
Buckminster Fuller's Dome Over Manhattan. Image courtesy of Metropolis Books
Greg Goldin and Sam Lubell have curated the exhibit with models designed by Studio Christian Wassmann. The models are being purpose-built by students in Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. Goldin and Lubell previously created a Never Built Los Angeles exhibit in 2013 that was on display at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum in Los Angeles.
Rufus Gilbert's Elevated Railway. Image courtesy of Metropolis Books
Related Stories
Windows and Doors | Feb 28, 2024
DOE launches $2 million prize to advance cost-effective, energy-efficient commercial windows
The U.S. Department of Energy launched the American-Made Building Envelope Innovation Prize—Secondary Glazing Systems. The program will offer up to $2 million to encourage production of high-performance, cost-effective commercial windows.
AEC Innovators | Feb 28, 2024
How Suffolk Construction identifies ConTech and PropTech startups for investment, adoption
Contractor giant Suffolk Construction has invested in 27 ConTech and PropTech companies since 2019 through its Suffolk Technologies venture capital firm. Parker Mundt, Suffolk Technologies’ Vice President–Platforms, recently spoke with Building Design+Construction about his company’s investment strategy.
Performing Arts Centers | Feb 27, 2024
Frank Gehry-designed expansion of the Colburn School performing arts center set to break ground
In April, the Colburn School, an institute for music and dance education and performance, will break ground on a 100,000-sf expansion designed by architect Frank Gehry. Located in downtown Los Angeles, the performing arts center will join the neighboring Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Grand by Gehry, forming the largest concentration of Gehry-designed buildings in the world.
Construction Costs | Feb 27, 2024
Experts see construction material prices stabilizing in 2024
Gordian’s Q1 2024 Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report brings good news: Although there are some materials whose prices have continued to show volatility, costs at a macro level are returning to a level of stability, suggesting predictable historical price escalation factors.
High-rise Construction | Feb 23, 2024
Designing a new frontier in Seattle’s urban core
Graphite Design Group shares the design for Frontier, a 540,000-sf tower in a five-block master plan for Seattle-based tech leader Amazon.
Construction Costs | Feb 22, 2024
K-12 school construction costs for 2024
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for four different types of K-12 school buildings (elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and vocational schools) across 10 U.S. cities.
MFPRO+ Special Reports | Feb 22, 2024
Crystal Lagoons: A deep dive into real estate's most extreme guest amenity
These year-round, manmade, crystal clear blue lagoons offer a groundbreaking technology with immense potential to redefine the concept of water amenities. However, navigating regulatory challenges and ensuring long-term sustainability are crucial to success with Crystal Lagoons.
Architects | Feb 21, 2024
Architecture Billings Index remains in 'declining billings' state in January 2024
Architecture firm billings remained soft entering into 2024, with an AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 46.2 in January. Any score below 50.0 indicates decreasing business conditions.
University Buildings | Feb 21, 2024
University design to help meet the demand for health professionals
Virginia Commonwealth University is a Page client, and the Dean of the College of Health Professions took time to talk about a pressing healthcare industry need that schools—and architects—can help address.
AEC Tech | Feb 20, 2024
AI for construction: What kind of tool can artificial intelligence become for AEC teams?
Avoiding the hype and gathering good data are half the battle toward making artificial intelligence tools useful for performing design, operational, and jobsite tasks.
