CONCERN FOR THREATENED RUSSELL PAGE GARDEN GROWS
The Telegraph UK recently reported on the ongoing proposal by the Frick to demolish its viewing garden by renowned British designer Russell Page. Reporter Franky Kentish reminds readers that the risk of destruction to New York’s singular Russell Page garden is juxtaposed with an upcoming celebratory retrospective exhibition on the life and work of Page, hosted by the Garden Museum in London.
Watch the video and join the growing movement to stop the expansion plan:
In the January 14 edition of The Architect’s Newspaper, editor Alan Brake writes,
“Opponents of the Frick’s expansion plan can rightfully point to the Cooper Hewitt mansion-as-museum to show what can be done within an existing building to bring an institution up to date. Maybe the Frick can learn to live with a cramped coat-check area or move the director’s office offsite. The Cooper Hewitt, a partially publicly funded museum, seems to have found a way—it’s a refreshing example of public stewardship, institutional self-reflection, and intelligent restraint.”
Read the full article here.
Award-winning landscape architect and urban designer M. Paul Friedberg has also joined the conversation. In a letter addressed to Mayor Bill de Blasio, Friedberg writes, “the very energy that defines New York if left unchecked can prove destructive and destroy the very essence that makes this city great. The plan for the Frick expansion is a case in point. It suggests that to gain a benefit for the museum you must destroy a historic entity that adds to the cultural and aesthetic value of the city.“
Please add your voice to this important discussion. You can learn more here.
