In the Heart of Manhattan, a Natural Wonder Arrives

A $465 million expansion to NYC's @AMNH is now open. Bloomberg's
Sunny Kim reports from the Gilder Center, a sprawling temple devoted to biology, climate change and the planet’s origins.

With its arching bridges and ovoid cutouts, the atrium at the heart of the new wing of New York City’s American Museum of Natural History might remind some visitors of the acrobatic rock formations found in the canyonlands of the American West. For others, the sensuously curved walls and vaulted ceilings might evoke bones and muscles.

I see the space, formally known as the Kenneth C. Griffin Exploration Atrium, as the body of a jellyfish or octopus, stretching its tentacle-like corridors in all directions. From every vantage point, the atrium displays a different chiaroscuro of daylight and shadow, urging the visitor to wander in search of what is hidden.

“You can let your curiosity lead you,” said Jeanne Gang, the architect whose Chicago-based firm, Studio Gang, designed the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The museum’s $465 million expansion opens on May 4.

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[miskatonicalumni]

Good thing NY didn't waste that money on solving any of it's multitude of problems and instead built this, another piece of capitalism.