BUFFALO, N.Y. — We have an update on the Buffalo AKG Art Museum which has been closed while undergoing some major renovations for the past three years.
More government taxpayer funding is also now set aside for the cultural project.
With the brighter sunshine this morning, the rather dramatic glass elements of the new Gundlach portion of the expanded art museum are taking shape.
Overall this is a $230 million capital commitment. $195 million is for the actual building work and $35 million will go towards the enhanced endowment to run this facility with 7,500 works of art. In the older structure, only about 130 pieces could be displayed at any one time. But now about 400 will be able to be shown along with some actual exhibits.
So that factors into the extra costs according to the AKG Museum Director Dr. Janne Siren.
"We will be twice as large as we were previously so we need a larger operating endowment to enable us to operate this large a campus and larger staff."
As for the funding sources, private donors make up the majority but taxpayer money is also involved from the state and federal governments.
"The government contribution amounts to approximately 50 Million dollars of the total 195 which is the construction - the bricks and mortar component."
Jeffery Gundlach is known to be one of the most significant donors so the new building will be named for him.
And Tuesday another one million in federal tax dollars was announced for a "Great Lawn" concept in front of the museum and covering the parking lot.
"The great lawn will be a true community space for people to have picnics, play games, read books, or just to relax," Siren said.
Congressman Brian Higgins also pointed out the lawn will actually be on top of an underground parking garage for the museum.
"Where the cars are going to be parked - no longer on this site but below ground grade so that we can create a great lawn which is then that much more welcoming to the community."
There is still a lot of construction work on the museum grounds but the museum director is pretty confident they will be able to meet their reopening date which is now set for June 12.
"We have been rebuilding this museum during a challenging time. A global pandemic supply chain disruption, and of course most recently the tragic storm Elliot that took the lives of more than 40 people here in Western New York. However, we have an incredible team led by Gilbane Construction, Gilbane Building Company and all the trades that work with them are doing their utmost to catch up on those days that we lost over Christmas - over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.; We are on track for an opening," Siren said.
There is hope and expectation that people from around the country and the world will then visit the museum to see those works of art and various exhibits in an art museum that will have the scale of those in New York and Los Angeles.