Veteran powerhouse Pace Gallery has announced plans to take on a major redevelopment project, building an eight-story mini-museum style gallery on West 25th Street.
The new plans, being led by Weinberg Properties and designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Studio, create a more modern column-less space; the new building will be better-suited to current contemporary art.
Pace, founded in 1960 by Arne Glimcher, has shepherded the careers of dozens of household-name artists and currently represents or shows, at various galleries around the world, David Hockney, Robert Ryman, Kiki Smith, Yoshitomo Nara, Maya Lin, the estates of Donald Judd and Josef Albers and many other artists. Pace’s President, Marc Glimcher, said the new development is long overdue. “The last 10 years have seen incredible changes in the art world as creative communities from different parts of the world have started to connect. Now it’s time for the art galleries to change too,” said Glimcher.
That specific region of Chelsea was hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy two years ago, with most basements flooded. This project indicates an endorsement of the neighborhood by a major art-world player just as other galleries are leaving it.
Once the building is finished, it will measure approximately 60,000 square feet. Pace will occupy 40,000 square feet of both indoor and outdoor space spread across five floors. The ground floor space will feature a public library displaying Pace’s extensive collection of more than 10,000-catalogued volumes and a 5,000 square foot gallery with 20’ ceilings for rotating exhibitions; the second floor will offer exhibition space, an adjacent 1,000 square-foot terrace, and an open storage system for artworks that were previously accessible only through private viewing.
The building also expects to utilize the rooftop, by creating a garden that blends into Chelsea’s Highline and offers views of the Manhattan skyline. Construction on 540 West 25th Street is scheduled to begin in December 2015 with an expected completion date of fall 2017. During this time, Pace will continue to present exhibitions at its other Manhattan locations: 32 East 57th Street, 508 West 25th Street and 510 West 25th Street, as well as in London, Beijing and Hong Kong.
