Children’s Museum of Manhattan Transforms Historic Church into Modern Learning Space

📅 5 days ago

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is undergoing a significant transformation of a 123-year-old church, with plans to double its capacity by 2028. The project involves careful restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic structure, which will include modern museum facilities and a rooftop terrace.

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is embarking on an ambitious project to convert a 123-year-old church into a vibrant space dedicated to early childhood development through research-based play, learning, and cultural experiences. This adaptive reuse project, however, presents numerous challenges, as highlighted by Mary Mahany, the senior project executive from Shawmut Design and Construction, the general contractor and construction manager overseeing the endeavor. Mahany elaborates on the intricacies involved, stating that the team must 'delicately thread seven floors within the cavernous building while preserving the overall architecture, structure, and key spatial features.' Essentially, this project is akin to constructing a new building within a century-old church.
As of now, the project has progressed through soft demolition, with structural demolition currently on a sequenced schedule. Scaffolding has been erected around the church’s signature white granite façade to facilitate cleaning and restoration, which will also include the preservation of the prominent steeple. The church, which overlooks Central Park from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is set to feature a variety of spaces, including programmatic museum areas, a café, a museum store, performance venues, and a rooftop terrace upon completion.
The interior work has just commenced, with the construction of a seven-storey steel frame and slabs beginning in the cellar. This new structure will rise through the church’s interior, culminating at the barrel vault ceiling. To support this new construction, the church will be shored and stabilized with a new foundation, with DeSimone Consulting Engineers acting as the structural consultant for the project. The scaffolding around the church’s façade is a critical aspect of the ongoing restoration efforts, particularly in relation to the church’s landmark designation by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).
In order to mitigate the unexpected challenges often associated with adaptive reuse of historic buildings, the project team conducted extensive onsite investigations and walkthroughs during the pre-construction phase, according to Mahany. This project marks the first expansion of the Children’s Museum in over 40 years, and when it is completed in 2028, it will effectively double the museum’s capacity.
To optimize logistics and construction planning, the team has employed digital modeling techniques, utilizing both Matterport, a 3D scanning platform that creates photorealistic models, and OpenSpace, which provides 360-degree photo documentation of jobsites for real-time digital monitoring. The project will prominently feature the building’s distinctive barrel vault and tall arched windows, which will allow ample natural light to illuminate the interior spaces.
Shawmut Design and Construction is no stranger to complex adaptive reuse projects, having recently completed a significant project within a 100-year-old LPC-landmarked structure located beneath a 52-storey tower on Fifth Avenue. This previous project also required substantial structural interventions and careful sequencing, similar to the current church transformation.
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s current undertaking, designed by the architectural firm FXCollaborative in collaboration with exhibit designers THG Creative, is notably ambitious. Originally designed in the Beaux Arts style by Carrère & Hastings, the church has a rich architectural history, as this firm is also famed for creating the iconic main branch of the New York Public Library. The total estimated cost for the project is $300 million, reflecting the scale and significance of this redevelopment effort.

Related Posts