Could the McKim, Mead & White-designed IRT Powerhouse be our own Tate Modern-on-the-Hudson? The comparisons between these two monumental structures have been numerous, and many have looked to the Tate as inspiration for a possible alternative use for its New York City cousin. Whatever the future holds for the IRT Powerhouse, the conversion of the Bankside Power Station to the Tate Modern is proof positive of the incredible possibilities.
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| The underground former tanks at the Tate Modern, as pictured in the New York Times. |
From the New York Times' "Tate Modern Gets More Raw":
When the Tate Modern opened its sleek glass doors in May 2000, its
directors and curators expected around two million people in the first
year — an ambitious number for a contemporary art museum.
Five million came.
To date, more than 56 million visitors have passed through the massive
industrial spaces of the Tate Modern, transformed by the Swiss
architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron from a disused power
station into a cultural center that has altered the nature and
expectation of the museum-going experience, making it as much a tourist
attraction as an art destination.
On Wednesday, the Tate Modern will open a new set of doors. They lead
off the Turbine Hall into three enormous underground concrete cylinders,
former oil tanks that once powered the refinery and held a million
gallons of the viscous black gold. Known as the Tanks, they will become
the first exhibition spaces in a major museum permanently dedicated to
exhibiting performance, installation and experimental film.
Click here to read the full article by Roslyn Sulcas.
