Museum for African Art
Owner: Brickman Realty

The Museum of African Art was established in 1984 as an independent institution exclusively devoted to fostering the understanding and appreciation of African art and culture. In support of their mission, the New York Empowerment Zone Corporation awarded the Museum a grant of up to $2 million toward the construction of a mixed-use facility. The museum also leveraged $67 million in private funding in order to complete the project. The renovated museum will allow 70,000 square-foot facilities to be owned and operated by the Museum as a cultural institution, approximately 169,000 square feet of residential space, as well as a non-commercial parking garage. Through the spending power of the Museum’s employees and visitors, the project is expected to significantly impact the Museum’s surrounding neighborhood both economically and socially.

The building is designed by Robert A.M. Stern and will house 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, topped by 115 market rate apartments. The project began in 2007 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2009.