Lawsuit targets Met expansion - Front Page - coalition of citizens opposes plans for expansion of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York - Brief Article

A lawsuit was filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan in November to prevent the Metropolitan Museum of Art from undertaking yet another expansion. The Metropolitan Museum Historic District Coalition, a group of wealthy residents in 15 buildings along and near Fifth Avenue, opposes the two-phase project, which involves adding 200,000 square feet of underground storage space at the front and back of the building, as well as art-receiving areas in the rear. Additionally, more office space will be built onto the Roman wing over existing floors. The first phase of the project--which stalled after 9/11--calls for the reconfiguration and expansion of gallery and office space within the museum's upper levels.

The creation of the front storage areas will require the removal of the sidewalks and fountains on both sides of the main entrance; the fountains will he replaced once the project is complete. Though the building's silhouette will be somewhat altered, the museum's height and footprint won't change, according to museum spokesperson Harold Holzer. No start date has been decided, but the coalition claims that construction could take 12 years and will seriously compromise their real-estate values.

The coalition has expressed concern that an expanded museum will bring more visitors, noise and congestion to the area. Museum officials maintain that the changes will not increase attendance, which averages about five million visitors per year. The suit alleges that the museum failed to formally assess the expansion's environmental impact, and that the plan is in violation of a 1971 agreement with the city that limits its expansion options.

The current scheme was approved in 2001 by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, the Parks Department and the local community board. Some area residents are siding with the Met and suggest that the driving force behind the suit is a relatively small group whose views of Central Park might be slightly compromised by the alterations.

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