Bad American

The Plain Dealer

Art Museum expansion:

I’m. . . speechless?

Shocked? Repulsed?

This is the newest architectural monstrosity to be foisted upon a city that has spent the better part of four decades trying to shed it joke image.

From the story:

The Cleveland Institute of Art added momentum to the revitalization of University Circle Friday by unveiling plans for the $53 million expansion and renovation of its McCullough Center on upper Euclid Avenue.

The four-year art college has raised nearly half the money for the project in cash, pledges and tax credits and hopes to break ground in May, said David Deming, the school’s president.

“We’re excited, we really are excited,” he said. “It’s very gratifying to arrive at this moment. It’s something the faculty, administration and trustees have been trying to figure out for 20 years.“

Maybe they should take another 20 minutes and contemplate having to look at this thing every day.

The art institute project, designed by architect Winy Maas of the leading Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, will anchor the eastern edge of Case Western Reserve University’s $300 million Triangle development, also called the University Arts and Retail District.

The goal of the Triangle is to create a vibrant new residential, cultural and retail zone. The 8.5-acre development will be anchored by the art institute expansion on the east and on the west by a new building for the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland.

“There’s a whole district-in-waiting that’s just going to be lit up by MOCA and CIA,” said Chris Ronayne, director of the nonprofit University Circle Inc. “These are all iconic assets that will breathe life into the neighborhood.”

Or provide comic relief.

Here’s another view from the story:

and night doesn’t help matters:

OK, now that you’ve had a real good look at this proposed structure, honestly now, what does this look like?

a) an addition to a nationally famous art museum

b) a parking garage

c) a parking garage that has been damaged by an earthquake.

I’m sending this story to James Howard Kunstler whose architectural Eyesores of the Month can be viewed here:

Eyesores