This 57th Street Art Gallery was
created out of an abandoned, unrentable space above a
restaurant. The location was ideal for a
gallery...between Fifth and Sixth Avenues on "Gallery Row"...but
the premises was a water-logged disaster
scene. The second floor walk-up was originally
used for a messenger service. Next door was another
tenant who kept a pet lion. The realtor was desperate to have
the space improved, and the landlord, the restauranteur downstairs,
made conceoffered a ten year lease and concessions on the
rent. The gallery owners were in a "time-of-the-essence"
situation and had to move from one premises to a new one as quickly
as possible. they took the risk.
It was a true design challenge. The
sophisticated, compact interior was designed and built in four
months, in the midst of a blizzard and a sanitation workers'
strike; it was completed on time, on budget, and
conformed to stringent New York City codes. Carol
Crawford was both designer and project
manager.
There were innovative uses of
the roughly 1200 square feet, a rather small footprint for the
approximately 40 artists who were members. To
accommodate the need for constant showing of members' works, Carol
designed a rear-view projection booth [left in above
photograph] which made a continuously operating side show
possible without interfering with the solo exhibition in the main
area or requiring a huge, behind-the-scenes storage
area.
During demolition a skylight was
revealed and restored to provide abundant natural lighting without
sacrificing wall space...rare in New York galleries located above
street level. The ventilation was economically improved by
judicious placement of an alternating Hunter ceiling
fan; the uneven ceiling was peeled away to allow a
dramatically soaring twelve-foot main exhibit area, enabling
the gallery to host performances and
installations. Hardwood flooring was
added; the leaks from a neglected
roof corrected. By angling the floor
plan into a V-shape [see small photograph
original concept sketch at upper right],
conceptually based on the Gallery's
name...Viridian...the designer was able
to fit in a bathroom, art storage and a semi-enclosed
office area [behind counter in center]
to complete the renovation.
Viridian Space, one of the oldest and
most prestigious cooperative art galleries in Manhattan,
has since relocated to Chelsea where it is thriving in its fourth
decade, representing the emerging artists of New York
City.
