Restorefront

REDUX EXHIBITION OPENING

2008-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Finally, Storefront reopened to the public, and an enormous crowd came to help us open with a bang. The night of the vice-presidential debates was an opportune time to kick off the White House Redux show, and it made sense that we would incorporate the debate broascast into our opening celebration. The gallery was packed and the sidewalk overflowed with people. Too bad Gwen Eiffel was not around to keep us polite.

REOPENING DINNER

2008-10-15T13:51:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the inauguration of Storefront's restored facade, we hosted a dinner to thank those who made the restoration possible. We seated everyone at a one long table that filled the gallery.

To cater our event we asked Thiru Kumar and Veronica Julien to bring their portable kitchens to our curb. Shown below are Thiru, the “Dosa Man,” of NY Dosas serving up Sri-Lankan style vegan fare and Veronica of Veronica's Kitchen ladling out her famous oxtail soup. Both Kumar and Julien were both honored by the Vendy Awards in 2007.

123 IDEAS FOR A NEW WHITE HOUSE

2008-10-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Packed and shipped!
To get your own book, stop by the gallery or order online!

WHITE HOUSE REDUX - THE BOOK

2008-10-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

The books have arrived!

Final (Breathless) Blast

2008-09-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Blogging has been slow - we hardly have time to breathe getting everything finished for tomorrow. Here's a quick set of images documenting what's been going on in the the last couple of days. More on Flickr.

Pernilla has spent a few vexing hours making mapping a layout of the White House Redux entries . Lucky she's really good at Tetris. This is her last exhibition install at Storefront - she'll be badly missed!

Cesar trying to figure out Pernilla's diagram.

Daniel, Storefront's sound artist in residence, fine-tuning the audio setup.

The barricade is finally coming down - Storefront revealed! No lettering yet, though.

Lotsa trash.

Susannah and Katherine geting up close and personal with some styrofoam blocks.

Takes some concentration.

The letters are back! Turns out the old ones were beyond repair, which is a pity, but they did a great job fabricating the new ones.

Anagram time. Again.

The letters are going up! It's going to look good.

We're pretty pleased with how the interior's shaping up, too.

See you soon! If you're anywhere withing a 500 mile radius of NYC, come to the Grand Unveiling on thursday at 7pm. Hopefully we'll get at least one more post up before then...

FOAMING

2008-09-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

The styrofoam backings for the White House Redux installation arrived this morning. Because the gallery space is still due for a coat of paint on the floor, we have to store the foam blocks in the basement office. "It's a foam party," said Susannah Bohlke, Storefront's Programs and Development Officer. Storefront's employees are also learning today that styrofoam has a unique smell. "It's sweet like honey, but not in a good way," Ms. Bohlke commented.

We are currently looking for a nice home for the styrofoam to land post-exhibition. Perhaps we can turn them into centerpieces?

COUNTDOWN HAS STARTED

2008-09-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

Looking at the state of the gallery this evening you'd never guess that one week from today everything will be finished, the place will be cleaned up, there will be an exhibition on the walls and there will be many (dare we hope several hundred?!) beautiful people milling around with glasses of prosecco in their hands...

But they will. Everything is very nearly finished, and on Friday the installation of White House Redux will begin. In the meantime, Storefront's untiring team of faithful volunteers is in action mailing out the reopening newsletter (don't be fooled by the beers - it's hard work.)

The newsletter, incidentally, contains a really beautiful poster-size exploded axonometric of Storefront created by Pernilla - if you're not on our mailing list, you can pick one up at the reopening party.

IT'S IN THE DETAILS

2008-09-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

As the bigger parts of the restoration falls into place on the facade, the finer details are worked on. The belly of the new seam roof gets a coat of paint and cleaning work is being done to the facade frames.

ABOUT FACE

2008-09-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

With the FibreC almost fully installed on the east end of the facade, we are beginning to get a good sense of what the finished (refinished) product will look like. The corner screws will be supplemented with more screws lining the seams- as on the original facade.

CONCRETE FACE

2008-09-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

The old/new look is coming back! The installation of the rest of the FibreC board on the facade has begun. Soon Storefront will be looking like it was once again!

Prepping the FibreC board for installation.

STANDING TALL

2008-09-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Our facade is now properly protected by a new metal standing seam roof. The new overhang should ensure that water doesn't invade the building's south side. Downstairs, we are happily removing the waterproof tarps from our bookshelves on the south wall.

The new standing seam roof is just at Brian's eye level.

COOLING PROGRESS

2008-09-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Our humid, little basement office is getting a blast of cool air- or at least it will soon. At 5am this morning PJ Mechanical installed our new air conditioning unit on the roof of 97 Kenmare. The unit should be up an running as soon as Friday. Now we are doubly upset that summer is ending.

HOLE IN THE FLOOR

2008-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

The new office view.

To make way for a safety hatch, there is now a good size hole in the middle of the gallery floor. Now you can peek into the the inner workings of the Storefront office!

PLASTERED

2008-09-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

The soffit has been completely plastered and finished.. bringing the amount of remaining interior work down to an almost finished list.

Also, more for the interior, Storefront is now back up and running with a brand new toilet and sink. We no longer have to sneak across the street and use someone else's restroom to continue with business here..

FibreC BOARDS ARRIVE

2008-08-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

As planned, the new glass fibre concrete boards arrived this Monday at Storefront and no time was lost to begin the installation. The first board was cautiously placed and nailed. As it was before, zinc nails were used to attach the board. These now-silver-nails will eventually rust out and look just like it did before.

Architect and Board member Belmont Freeman couldn't wait to check out the new boards!

The Fascia and Soffit are also almost finished. As it is now being coated with plaster, it will soon be brilliant white and ready for the light railing system to be hung up again.

But it's not only the facade that's being restored, the restroom also gets a makeover.

LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

2008-08-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

There's a little bit of everything going on today.. The masonite board is being cut and hung over the insulation on the exterior panels. The cornice is almost finished. The interior of the gallery is right about there.. all the plaster is on and dry with some painting left to be done.

However, there seems to be some more mysterious leaks happening downstairs. The wonderful plug that was made earlier this week only worked for one hole.. now more are opening in smaller places. Let's hope August discontinues its rainy season soon..

WATERLESS FOUNTAINS

2008-08-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

REstrooms are next. With this, the RElocation of our sink, fridge and everything else we used to hide in there. We are now WATERLESS!

Couldn't help but wish we had one of Mr. Mutt's (a.k.a. M. Duchamp) fountains.

Then again, we managed and came up with this:

Wishful thinking!

COOL TOOLS

2008-08-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

He also carries a paper dispenser hanging from his belt and whisks the plaster with a massive egg beater.

FLASH FLOOD

2008-08-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, the thunderstorms in the city brought along an unpleasant surprise for us down in the basement.. Water finds its way into some amazing places, like the air ducts behind the walls. Thankfully, the amazing guys at Ibex Construction patched the leak with some insulation material, and all is dry here now!

Slow blogging day at Storefront you may ask? Never. Basement floods are equally as important as historic gallery restoration projects..

ALL CLOSED UP

2008-08-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

The plywood on the interior and the insulation inside the panels are pretty much finished being installed. The unique arcade effect was nice while it lasted, and a interesting treat to all who got the chance to walk through the walls. Next up: surfacing and finishing the interior panels, and anxiously waiting the arrival of the fiberC boards!

IN-BETWEEN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE

2008-08-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Monday night we offered a sneak peek of the restoration during the opening of our barricade installation "Learning from Hangzhou" by Mathieu Borysevicz. This opening offered the unique opportunity to mingle in-between inside and outside while taking in the new barricade installation and exploring the half dressed facade structure.

LEARNING FROM HANGZHOU

2008-08-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

This Monday morning there's a different installation happening at Storefront, the installation of Mathieu Borysevicz's project "Learning from Hangzhou" wrapping the construction barricade. Yes, we're even having exhibitions while we're closed..

Tonight is the opening, Monday, August 4. 6-8pm. There's also a sneak peak at the restoration project behind the construction wall! Hope to see you there.

LEARNING FROM HANGZHOU
a photographic analysis by Mathieu Borysevicz.

From 2003-2007 thousands of digital photographs, based on patterns or visual re-occurrences throughout the city, were recorded and archived into categories of architectural, socio-economic and urban cultural phenomena. These photographs cover territory from outdoor advertising (in its many different and all enveloping configurations) to the constructed environment (the transitional zones of demolition/construction sites, architecture, and architectural apparatus') to urban culture's visual codes (street markings, ad imagery, internet bars, the wedding industry, etc.).

This project was made possible through generous support from IBEX Construction and Tim and Ellen Van Housen.

Visit our website for more information on the project.

INSULATION INSTALLATION

2008-08-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

The walls are coming together already, and rapidly at that. The section is hanging on the wall for any last minute questions about which comes first, the insulation, plywood, or concrete panels.

TIME CAPSULE

2008-08-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

At the closing party we invited guests to sign the interior wall in exchange for a donation, and we got some interesting graffiti from it.

As of today, all the new drywall is up and covering the old walls.

So, in another 15+ years, when the new generation of Storefront directors and curators are Re-storing Storefront, there will be a great surprise as they tear down the walls. Hopefully they'll appreciate the characatures, obscenities towards architects, and random shameless self-promoting.

A GREENER STOREFRONT

2008-07-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

While searching for a material to replace the fibrecement originally used on the gallery’s façade, we learned a few things about the environmental implications of the various materials we could use. Ecological awareness was an important part of Kyong Park’s mission when he founded Storefront, and we wanted to make sure we chose a product with a low energy footprint, especially since the so much more is known today than in 1992 about the environmental responsibilities of the building industry.

Our number one option was fibreC, a material produced by the Austrian company Rieder. fibreC is based on purely organic substances - more than 95% of fibreC consists of sand, cement and glass fibres, and it can therefore be completely recycled, unlike fibrecement products. Moreover, its production involves a low use of resources: the production of fibre cement consumes 76% more primary energy than fibreC. Wolfgang Rieder, the CEO of the company, generously agreed to provide enough 8mm fibreC to clad Storefront’s façade. The panels are on their way over from Austria now – will be arriving in mid-August.

fibreC is a concrete panel reinforced with glassfibres. Therefore, it combines the advantages of the two in a single material – it is as moldable and durable as concrete, but thanks to the glassfibres it is also thin-walled, fireproof and light-weight. It’s been used in some pretty exciting and innovative projects recently built around the world:

Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion by Zaha Hadid

DRL TEN Pavilion by Alan Dempsey and Alvin Huang

If you’d like to know more about fibreC, be sure to come along to Wolfgang Rieder’s lecture at Storefront on 25th September, 2 days after the inauguration of the renovated façade.

BACK TO BASICS

2008-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Things are moving quickly. Today they painted the facade's steel skeleton with a white rustproof primer. Looks great...

The builders also stripped away the cornice above what remains of the facade... Let's hope it doesn't rain.

In the meantime, work continues in the basement sweatshop. It's hot here in the Big Apple, especially underground with no aircon!

GETTING LEVELED

2008-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

For every one who as been tripping up entering or leaving the gallery in the last 15 years the re-tailoring of the entrance door will be greatly appreciated. For those who believe tripping is part of Storefronts inherent charm all other panels will still offer tripping possibilities.

Note: This is the only alteration to the facade that will be made everything else will be restored faithfully.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

2008-07-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

Original construction of the steel structure, 1993.

It's been 15 years since the facade has been naked for all to see. Interesting things have revealed themselves, like the on-site sketches trying to figure out how to round a corner with fiber cement board.

STOREFRONT LAID BARE

2008-07-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

For the first time since the facade was closed up in 1993, we've been able to see what the complete metal structure looks like.

Photos by Danny Wills

LETTERS

2008-07-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

STOREFRONT FOR ART & ARCHITECTURE concrete letters are taken down to be restored. Reconstruction is according to an anonymous website the longest word that can be derived from those letters. Other re-arrangement suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

TAGGED

2008-07-20T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just a few hours after the first section is complete swift "wheat pasters" make their mark. You have got to admire the speed at which it happens.

BUILDER, BUILDERS, BARRICADE

2008-07-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

Builder +

more builders =

barricade. Tall beautiful plywood barricade.

Photos by Gaia Cambiaggi

RESTOREFRONT : The blog about the Storefront facade restoration

2008-07-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

Storefront demolition of the interior face of the facade, May 2008
Photo by Ramak Fazel

The Restorefront blog will be following the restoration of Storefronts iconic but rapidly deteriorating Vito Acconci/Steven Holl facade. A facade that was originally meant to stay up for two years has actually just about lasted for 15 but now it's time to help it last another 15 at least. After an intense spring of consultations and preparations we have pulled together a great team that will bring the facade back to its 1993 glory by the end of September when we will open our many doors again for a new season of exhibition, talks, screenings, events and Pop-ups. I have included some background info about the Storefront facade restoration below.

In 1993, Storefront commissioned a collaborative building project by artist Vito Acconci and architect Steven Holl. The project replaced the existing façade with a series of wall panels that pivot vertically or horizontally, enabling the entire length of the building to open directly onto the street. Storefront’s façade is now regarded by many as a contemporary architectural landmark and is visited each year by thousands of artists, architects, and students from around the world. The façade exemplifies Storefront’s commitment to alternative architectural and artistic practices. Currently, however, the façade is in a serious state of deterioration and is in urgent need of restoration. The interior and exterior façade panels are damaged and decayed. A major part of the renovation will involve removing and rebuilding the panels on each side of the façade along with repairing and refurbishing its interior metal frames.

To mark its 25th anniversary in 2008, Storefront for Art and Architecture is embarking on a project to restore its façade. The Board of Directors, in conversation with Stephen Holl, the original architect of the project, reached this decision after careful consideration. The group examined possible approaches and concluded that a renovation of the original design was the most appropriate direction and would be an essential step in ushering Storefront into its next 25 years. Storefront views this renovation as a fundamental priority in both preserving the architectural and cultural landmark and in realizing the full potential of its capacity to further contribute to the cultural life of New York City.

Ibex construction will be the general contractor for the restoration and have generously donated a substantial part of the works to Storefront. The remainder of the cost is covered by government grants from NYSCA and LMCC and private donations from FLOS and anonymous donors. Rieder/fiberC will donate all the glassfiber concrete board that will be replacing the existing supra board cladding. Jerome S. Gillmann have been expediting this project pro bono.