County Commissioners Seek Legal Advice to Stop Barnes Move

The Montgomery County Commissioners today passed a resolution seeking “proposals from law firms to explore legal strategies and options” to keep the Barnes from moving to Philadelphia, as planned.
In January the commissioners had voted to “support the retention of the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion.” The January resolution had stated “that plans to move the Barnes Foundation from Merion to the Parkway in Philadelphia should be abandoned” and “that the Barnes Foundation Board of Trustees should explore all means to maximize revenues from operations in Merion and work with the neighbors in Lower Merion to increase visitation and financial opportunities.” The commissioners further recommended that the Barnes trustees “explore avenues to integrate visitation into the Philadelphia tourist experience without relocating the Barnes.”
This could, admittedly, be a case of trying to close the Barnes door after the courts have already found that the art can escape the confines of the suburbs for the big city. But perhaps a resourceful lawyer can yet prevail by arguing that enough was not done to save the Barnes in situ, and by demonstrating how the Barnes can yet survive and thrive in Merion.
Perhaps there’s still time to respect Albert Barnes‘ written instructions that his collection remain as he left it, and to honor the desire of culture lovers to preserve this unique and treasured art mecca. But with the Philadelphia powers-that-be aligned in favor of the move, I doubt it.