SOUTH COVE Skyscraper Museum
Where History Raises to New Heights: Traveling Back in Time with The Skyscraper Museum’s “Residential Rising: Lower Manhattan since 9/11” Exhibition
History is coming with a Supertall. Universal Admedia was privileged to be invited to an exclusive curator’s tour of The Skyscraper Museum led by the Founder, Carol Willis, featuring its opening of “Residential Rising: Lower Manhattan since 9/11” Exhibition. Not only does the museum and exhibit showcase the evolutionary timeline of architecture within New York City and other regions across the world free of charge, it is unique in its research and presentations, constructing a much different perspective of skyscraper museums and anticipation of just how much taller buildings will be built in the coming years.
How tall is a Supertall?
A Supertall is a very tall building, with a height of more than 984 feet (300 meters). The Skyscraper Museum opened in 2020 featuring a wide collection of supertalls built across the world. Worldwide, there are 58 buildings completed or expected to be finished by 2024 that all surpass this height of the Empire State Building, a supertall that is 1,250 feet and 380 meters tall. To top it off, Manhattan now has six buildings taller than the Empire State Building and several more alike in the process of construction.
The Skyscraper Museum celebrates the evolution of architecture by displaying these supertalls. Covering supertalls in 16 different cities, you have an in-person view of each of the 58 supertalls specific designs. Viewers can rediscover these buildings in a much more up-close and personal way.
Along with these 58 supertalls, visitors can also explore a dozen of some of the most recent towers, exploring each tower's formal and structural innovation, which is a primary focus within the exhibit. The museum features the tallest building both in the world and on the planet, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which rises to 2,717 feet/828 meters.
The interior design of the museum has much to offer that is adjacent to its exhibits. Inside, visitors can enjoy the polished stainless steel floor with mirror ceilings, replicating the beautiful views of the buildings and the museum itself. It’s incomparable to that of other museums because its interior design places you within an environment that feels translucent to what you're learning about. With all of this also comes the rich history of texts printed on all walls you walk by, feeling like you're not just learning architectural history but also walking through it.
The “Residential Rising: Lower Manhattan since 9/11” Exhibition is a deep-dive and rediscovery of the frameworks surrounding Ground Zero. Since the disaster of 9/11, the lower Manhattan community has been in the process of implementing new strategies for growth, specifically for residential skyscrapers. The evolution of the Downtown area of Manhattan has seen tremendous opportunity for improvement, and this exhibition perfectly depicts not just how far Manhattan has come, but how more beautiful the skyline is expected to become.
Outside of their amazing exhibitions, the museum has more to offer. The Skyscraper Museum hosts weekly Family Programs on Saturdays. In these weekend programs, families can engage with educators on the principles of understanding construction and development, engineering, and conduct hands-on activities with images, films, and models of skyscrapers to eventually create their own.
Carol Willis, the Founder, Curator and Director of The Skyscraper Museum, spoke with Universal Admedia in an exclusive interview stating: “Family programs are where we hope to connect with the community the most and they're certainly convenient. Over the summer last year, we did these outside and during the winter we had these programs every other saturday. Within these programs, you have families making things, conversing and thinking of different topics surrounding each exhibit and answering much larger questions which we like to see.”
There is more history to be looked upon within the location of the museum, which is the neighborhood of South Cove. South Cove, a beautified neighborhood filled with greenery and endless water scenes, is a short distance from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. It is also home to Battery Park City, which is near iconic city landmarks such as Wall St and the New York Harbor.
What makes this museum stand out?
Unlike many museums, this one is located in the heart of its history. It is not limited to what’s inside, there is even more to be seen outside of it. Museums across the world are limited to the views it provides, but here you get to be in the community that has been a heavy influence to its creation. With such close proximity to such a national landmark like the 9/11 museum, it's impossible to not feel the presence of ist aftermath and the possibilities it created for the future. And to make it all the more perfect, it's free!
Willis mentioned, “Every one of our exhibitions deals with current or historical questions about urbanism and questions that are investigating contemporary issues. This one was international, so we returned to our own neighborhood in Lower Manhattan to evaluate what’s changed after 9/11.”
INTERVIEW
How has the reopening of the Skyscraper Museum been after your closure?
“So we opened in July of last year, last summer. International tourism has been down and that certainly has affected Manhattan generally and lower Manhattan particularly. The lack of returning to office has also affected the local population. Our visitorship is definitely down but we instituted free admission when we opened, which was really key and we hope that we'll find an interested audience. We don't really have advertising so we're looking for any amplification to let others know that we're free of charge.”
What do you want to see happen in 2022 for the museum?
“After the 4th of July, we will be open with our new exhibition. Every one of our exhibitions deals with current or historical questions about urbanism and questions that are investigating contemporary issues. This one was international, so we returned to our own neighborhood in Lower Manhattan to evaluate what’s changed after 9/11. In the skyline, there are these very distinctive sky towers so we are focusing on those which have stylistic expressions and well known architects so they're extremely eclectic but also characterized by their height and slenderness , showing the changed skyline from ground zero. But, what emerged from the research in the exhibition is how much downtown has grown in its population, as was intended in the 1990’s before 9/11. But the population more than doubled in lower Manhattan and the slight majority of it happened within the existing urban fabric. As it turns out, downtown has obviously changed since 9/11 and the building of ground zero but it changed in some of these visible and invisible ways such as its population. We like to tell history as historians so this is a perfect balance for a post-covid moment.”
How do you see the impact of social media on the museum's agenda moving forward? Will you be more virtual and use video?
“We have tons of interns over the summer who are very good at capitalizing off of social media so we anticipate that they will bring even more attention to the museum.”
How would you describe the support from the SouthCove community?
“Family programs are where we hope to connect with the community the most and they're certainly convenient. Over the summer last year, we did these outside and during the winter we had these programs every other saturday. Within these programs, you have families making things, conversing and thinking of different topics surrounding each exhibit and answering much larger questions which we like to see.”
What message would you like to get out?
“We’re here and we're free!”
Carol Willis is the Founder, Director, and Curator of The Skyscraper Museum in New York City. She is the author of the award-winning Form Follows Finance: Skyscrapers and Skylines in New York and Chicago and the editor of Building the Empire State. Currently, she is an Adjunct Assoc. Prof. of Urban Studies at Columbia University where since 1989 she has taught in the program The Shape of Two Cities: New York and Paris in The Graduate School of Architecture, Planning.