Location
235 Bowery
Completion
2007
Client
New Museum of Contemporary Art
Square Footage
52,000 SF
Design Architect
SANAA
Architect of Record
Gensler Architects
New Museum of Contemporary Art
Sciame was the Construction Manager responsible for the construction of the New Museum of Contemporary Art. The museum’s design has a dramatic seven-story composition of boxes each expressing a key element of the institution’s program. The design was achieved by stacking the “boxes” vertically and shifting them off-axis laterally in different directions. This arrangement yields cantilevers and setbacks that filter daylight into interiors and provides views of the city.
The lobby is an animated, multi-purpose space that houses an entrance area, information desks, an open-plan gift shop, a café and bar, and a 1,100 SF exhibition space washed with daylight from a structural setback above.
Further, an open interior stair leads from the lobby to the first sublevel and contains a 200-seat black box theater/auditorium, media lounge, satellite bar, restrooms, and other support areas. The sublevel on the second floor houses various electrical, mechanical, and sanitation systems for the building with the staff offices and administrative functions being located on the fifth and sixth floors.
The second, third, and fourth floors of the building constitute a fluid 14,000 SF gallery zone with open, column-free spaces, offering great flexibility in proportioning galleries for exhibitions in a wide range of scales and media.
Project Awards
The Hyatt Foundation
Pritzker Architecture Prize
National Council of Structural Engineers Association (NCSEA)
Excellence in Structural Engineering: New Buildings $30M-$100M
American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) New York
Engineering Excellence Platinum Award
Conde Nast Traveler
New Seven Wonders of the World
Time Magazine
Top 10 (New and Upcoming) Best Architectural Marvels
NY Construction News – Best of 2007
Cultural Project of the Year
Thanks a Half-Billion! – At Sciame Construction, we proudly led the effort to reimagine the WTC Memorial and Museum, a project of national significance. Frank Sciame, our founder, was tasked with creating a design that honored the original vision while staying within a $500 million budget. Working closely with Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, and a team of 13 advisers, including notable figures like Jack Rudin and Robert Douglass, we developed cost-effective design options, ultimately reducing the budget from nearly $1 billion to $510 million. Our approach preserved key elements like the voids, waterfalls, and pools while optimizing infrastructure and resizing the museum. Sciame’s commitment to excellence ensured a memorial that balances beauty, dignity, and sustainability.
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center – Though relatively small in size, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center was a technically complex project successfully constructed and delivered by Sciame Construction. This groundbreaking laboratory made an outsized impact on global health. It was here that Dr. David Ho pioneered the development of the revolutionary “AIDS cocktail,” a combination therapy that transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition. His groundbreaking work earned him the title of TIME magazine’s Man of the Year, underscoring the center’s profound contribution to the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
The New Victory Theater – Originally built in 1900 as The Republic, the first performing arts venue on 42nd Street, the theater was transformed into The New Victory in 1995, becoming New York’s first theater for children and families. The renovation uncovered and restored original architectural elements, added a new lobby carved from the existing structure and bedrock, rebuilt the historic staircase, and created space for much-needed restrooms. A rear wing was added for backstage access, dressing rooms, workshops, and a loading dock, while new elevators and rooftop HVAC systems were integrated to meet modern needs of the historic theater.
We’re turning 50! As we count down to Sciame’s 50th anniversary on June 13th, we’re celebrating the moments that shaped us. For the next 50 days, we’ll be sharing one standout project a day in our “Countdown to 50”.
Thank you to our amazing clients, team, and friends! We wouldn’t be here without you.
