Albright-Knox Art Gallery

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Early 1900s construction

East Elevation

1913, West Elevation





Rendering of proposed addition
Click for larger images
Photos by Buffalore, Dave Pape, BuffaloAH, Albright-Knox.

Location

1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo NY 14222

Owner

  • Parcel: City of Buffalo, as part of Delaware Park.
  • Buildings: Operated by the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy.

Physical Description

  • Building complex consisting of a neoclassical 1905 building designed by E.B. Green and a modern 1962 addition designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
  • In Delaware Park. An anchor of Buffalo's Museum District, across Elmwood Avenue from Buffalo State College and the college's Burchfield-Penney Art Gallery and across Scajaquada Creek and Expressway from the Buffalo History Museum.

Current Condition

  • In use as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

History

  • The original building was designed by local architect E.B. Green and was intended to be used as the Fine Arts Pavilion for the Pan-American Exhibition in 1901. Delays in construction left it uncompleted until 1905.
  • In 1962 Seymour H. Knox, Jr. funded an addition to the gallery and the institution was renamed the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The project was going to follow E.B. Green's 1942 plans for an addition, but that was found to be unsuitable.
  • The addition was instead completed by the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architectural firm. Buffalo native Gordon Bunshaft was the architect/designer.
  • The gallery complex:

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • 2012-2017: The art gallery plans a major expansion to their existing space.
  • June 2017: Preliminary building and site plans were revealed by architect Shohei Shigematsu of the firm OMA.
    • Some of the plans require significant changes or additions to the Bunshaft-designed courtyard and could possibly compromise the integrity of both the newer and older buildings.
    • Because of the historic designations, such plans are governed by local and federal historic preservation laws and guidelines.
  • June 29, 2017: The City of Buffalo Preservation Board sent a letter to Albright-Knox Director Janne Sirren, expressing concern about the plan's impact on the historic structures. Read the letter here.

Other Pertinent Facts

  • When completed, the building contained more than 5,000 tons of marble and had more columns than any other building in the United States except for the Capitol Building in Washington D. C.
  • The marble was sourced in the same Maryland quarry used for the Washington Monument.

Links


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Added 2013-08-28 • Last changed 2018-07-09

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