The Museum of Modern Art Building | Architecture, History, & Evolution

Design of the MoMA building

The Museum of Modern Art found its custom-built home on West 53rd Street in 1939 after operating out of rented spaces for the past 10 years. The MoMA architecture was designed by the American architects Edward Durell Stone and Philip L. Goodwin, a Museum trustee. The sculpture garden of the museum was designed by the MoMA director Alfred H. Barr Jr. and MoMA architecture curator John McAndrew.

Stone has been roped into this construction of the new MoMA building thanks to Barr's push for a modern architect, who would counterbalance Goodwin's traditional approach.

It took 4 years to complete the construction of the MoMA building. The building stands true to its vision of popularising and democratizing modern art, with modern and contemporary architecture styles blending together with international styles.

Structure of the MoMA building

In May 1939, after a decade of functioning out of rented spaces, MoMA found a home for itself on West 53rd Street. Goodwin's inclination towards the traditional Beaux-Arts style and Stone's more modern approach came together to create a building of six stories made of sleek white marble and a type of insulated glass called Thermolux. This glass helped in diffusing the light in the galleries of the museum.

It was MoMA director Alfred H. Barr Jr who envisioned bringing these styles together, after being inspired by the Bauhaus, an art and design school in Germany. Since the neighboring buildings featured Beaux-Arts and brownstone townhouses, the MoMA architecture was unique and reflected the goal of the museum.

In addition to all this, the new MoMA building boasted more than triple the exhibition space, an auditorium for its film program, a library, and two floors of office space.

Revamped MoMA building

In the late 1990s, Yoshio Taniguchi, a popular Japanese architect, submitted his design for renovating MoMA architecture. The construction of the new MoMA architecture began in 2001. After its completion in 2004, it was reopened to the public on its 75th birthday.

Taniguchi added granite and glass facades to the entrance of the MoMA museum. He added minimal solutions to the museum’s design while maintaining its modernist roots. Yoshio restored the International style building and enlarged the Sculpture Garden. The architect achieved a minimal aesthetic look with the help of precision. Glass panes were added that surrounded the Sculpture Garden and the curtains walls were detached from the floors to ensure that the glass doesn’t deflect when there are lots of visitors. Taniguchi’s design made the garden the focus while the other buildings acted as the side characters. His design allowed visitors to enjoy NYC’s streets and skyline as they passed through the galleries. Several windows in the galleries and the stairways allow the visitors a look outside. Visitors would find contemporary works on the ground floor and the older artworks on the higher floors. A huge sky-lit space for temporary exhibitions was made available on the top floor. An atrium was also added that connects the lobby to the Sculpture Garden. 

Reinventing MoMA architecture

MoMA building underwent another renovation in 2019 by architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro who collaborated with Gensler. A two-phased renovation, the first part involved the MoMA architecture and new walls whereas the second part focused on the new art that is getting installed on those new walls.

The Museum of Modern Art expanded to take over the space left by the American Folk Art Museum site. New galleries are added along with floor-to-ceiling windows to let in natural light through the building. This way, visitors have direct access to the MoMA art while walking on the street. Moreover, the ground floor and the lobby were converted into a public gathering space. 

Overall, the exhibition space increased by 30 percent. However, the expansion is more than just about the square feet, but is also envisioned as an expansion in ways of thinking. The institution is no longer separated into disciplines and will offer a collage-like approach to the history of modern art.