A WEEK IN NEW YORK - PART THREE : 

THE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

APRIL 11, 2025

                                                                  LOST IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE, OR AT THE DEEP END OF THE POOL, OR SUPPLY YOUR OWN ANALOGY.

This week I would like to take a short look at the new wing of the American Museum of Natural History, by the renowned architectural firm Studio Gang from Chicago.. This is the newest addition to the museum, which follows the well-worn model of an overwhelming grand hall surrounded by exhibits that was pioneered in Wright's Guggenheim more than 66 years ago. The Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation is in fact a long name for an addition to a museum which already contains more than 2,500,000 square feet of space in 45 interconnected buildings.

I must say I was totally underwhelmed by the experience, even though Fran appreciated it much more than I did. I was left with the feeling that I couldn’t find any justification for the entire affair. The addition provided a new entry point for the museum, which was unnecessary for a museum which already had a surplus of entrances all around its astonishing exterior. I never could figure out what the addition’s program of exhibits was all about - it seemed to lack any theme that held it together. But most important for this observer was that I failed to understand what this sculpture was trying to say about the museum, its collection, or even its place in New York City.

                WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT THE SPACE IS NOT PHOTOGENIC. I USED TO LOVE SWIMMING THE LENGTH OF THE POOL UNDERWATER, AND THE SKYLIGHTS REASSURED ME THAT I COULD ALWAYS BREAK THE SURFACE AND COME UP FOR AIR.

I’ll be pretty mean. If you ever wondered what it would be like to enter a moody, under lit,  upside down swimming pool some four stories tall, now you can find out. The sculpture was built entirely like a swimming pool, with concrete plastering an arbitrary steel frame. There are no orthogonal lines allowed except for the floor plates required for people to circulate throughout the space. A series of skylights are scattered above which provide most of the lighting without indicating any rational order for the space. There are only a few windows looking back towards the city besides the main entry window and door where you can enter the space. The connection to the rest of the museum is tentative at best. While the "geologic landscape" provides an excuse for this sculpture's place in the museum, and its form, I didn't buy it in the least.

I have never been to the Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, which opened a few years after we left Washington for Portland oh so many years ago. This wing resembles that museum’s exterior, whose sculptural layering was justified by its resemblance to the sandstone mesas of the American West. No such meaning is applicable here. Now if you judge the power of architecture mostly by its reality as a giant sculpture, I suppose that you could ignore most of its other reasons for being. But when you don’t even like the sculpture, it’s hard to justify almost anything else.

                                                                  A PORTION OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE LAST ADDITI0N TO THE MUSEUM, THE ROSE CENTER, BUILT IN 2000, WHICH CONTAINED NEW EXHIBITS ON SPACE IN A TRANSPARENT CUBE FACING NEW YORK.

                                      I STILL LOVED THE ARRAY OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM, TO SCALE, WHICH FILLED THE GREAT ROOM SURROUNDING THE SUN, WHICH CONVENIENTLY HOLDS THE NEW PLANATERIUM. THE TINY CORNER OF THE SUN SHOWS IT'S SIZE RELATIVE TO TO THE PLANETS.

                 THAT BIRD STILL HASN'T MOVED OFF THE SHOULDER OF THE BISON IN ONE OF THE DIORAMAS THAT IS OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

                AND OF COURSE THE BLUE WHALE STILL COMMANDS ONE OF THE LARGEST ROOMS IN THE MUSEUM.

The museum of course is still one of the wonders of the world. We had a wonderful time just trying to explore a tiny part of the exhibits. As natural history museums go, it is only really challenged by museums in London and Washington. My sisters, nieces and brother-in-law barely got to do anything beyond making sure that we saw the “greatest hits” from our respective childhoods. I was flummoxed  by the layout, which seemingly required you to get lost to find what you were looking for. And the “Disneyfication”of the museum, which required additional payment for some of the permanent exhibits, seemed to further remove the museum from any economic reality just outside it’s doors. I suppose that New Yorkers solve this by membership, but it left a bad taste in this tourists mouth when I realized that my $35.00 entry fee didn’t cut it if I wanted to enter some of the most popular parts of the museum. One of these exhibits was the Butterfly Vivarium in the new entry hall, which required a separate admission.

                                      ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF MY OLD FRIENDS. I MIGHT HAVE TAKEN PRETTY MUCH THIS SAME IMAGE IN PARTS OF FOUR DECADES.

In conclusion, of course you should devote a day to visiting this incredible museum. You can even get a stamped ticket that will allow you to decompress in Central Park or grab lunch on the Upper West Side before you take on a little part of the rest of the museum. Most of this small collection of images were grabbed when I stumbled upon some of my favorite exhibits while getting lost in the museum. I hope you can discover some favorites of your own someday.