The Whitney’s Next New Building

Fourth time (Graves, Koolhaas, Piano, Piano) is the charm? Carol Vogel of the NY Times gets the High Line scoop (to be published in tomorrow’s paper, but online tonight). CultureGrrl gets to link. (What, me jealous?) The Coalition of Concerned Whitney Neighbors, as well as the Defenders of the Historic Upper Eastside and the Hotel Carlyle Owners Corp., get to pop the champagne corks and focus their wrath on Aby Rosen’s proposed 30-story tower, instead of on the Whitney’s aborted nine-story addition.
No details about the new plans yet on the Whitney’s website, even though, according to Vogel’s exclusive and highly detailed report, the museum “reached a conditional agreement” five days ago to buy the property for its new building from the city. Why should this information vacuum surprise me? The most recent press release posted under Expansion News is “Landmarks Preservation Commission Unanimously Approves Whitney Expansion and Renovation,” May 24, 2005.
No matter what happens, there’s always something for land-use lawyer Sandy Lindenbaum to do. I’ll have to remember to ask him sometime if he bought that Klimt I caught him ogling!