SculptureCenter's new facility opened to the public in December 2002, after completion of the first phase of renovation. The next step (slated to begin this year) involves replacing much of the existing roof, opening the clerestory windows, and allowing additional natural light into the main space.
In 2001, SculptureCenter purchased a former trolley repair shop with an enclosed outdoor lot at 44-19 Purves Street in Long Island City, Queens. Built in 1908, the steel and brick building rests in the heart of a burgeoning cultural destination, with neighboring institutions such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Socrates Sculpture Park, the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum and the temporary branch of the Museum of Modern Art, MOMA QNS, opening in Summer 2002.

This new location fulfills SculptureCenter’s mission by providing superior space for expanded exhibitions, residencies, and public programs. When the renovation and expansion is complete, SculptureCenter will include 6,000 square feet of interior exhibition space, offices, a work studio and apartment for visiting artists, a sculpture library and a 3,000 square foot outdoor exhibition space.

SculptureCenter has selected internationally acclaimed artist/designer Maya Lin and architect David Hotson to design the renovation and expansion. Maya Lin has earned international recognition for her site-specific projects. Since her design for the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, D.C. in 1981, she has established herself both in the fields of art and architectural design. Other projects she has realized include the Langston Hughes Library in Clinton, Tennessee, the Museum for African Art and the Norton Residence in Manhattan. David Hotson, whose firm David Hotson, Architect recently designed the renovation of Eyebeam’s media art exhibition and workshop spaces, has collaborated with Maya Lin Studio on several projects, and will be the associated architect on the SculptureCenter project.

Download floorplans of SculptureCenter building