‘A world-class space’: Bronx Museum of the Arts breaks ground on $33 million renovation

On Thursday, July 11, local politicians and organization leaders celebrated breaking ground at the Bronx Museum of the Arts $33 million renovation.
On Thursday, July 11, local politicians and organization leaders celebrated breaking ground at the Bronx Museum of the Arts $33 million renovation.
Photo ET Rodriguez

For more than 50 years, the Bronx Museum of the Arts has prided itself on its core values of social justice, youth development, building community and providing free access to the people. On Thursday, July 11, as they officially broke ground on a $33 million renovation — courtesy of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) — the museum can continue to be a pillar of culture for another 50 years to come.

“It’s not just a renovation, it is a rebirth,” said Klaudio Rodriguez, director of the museum, at the groundbreaking ceremony. “The people of the Bronx deserve a world-class space that matches the world-class programming that we present here. This is for them.”

Since 1971, the Bronx Museum of the Arts has been a beacon of creativity and culture and in some cases, refuge from the surrounding chaos, with Irma Fleck at the helm. The late executive director of the Bronx Council of the Arts, worked not only to beautify a crumbling Bronx, but to give it a cultural hub that was missing and so prevalent in the other boroughs.

Originally housed at the Bronx County Courthouse when the borough was engulfed in a decade of fire, the museum served as a haven. In 1982, it moved to its forever home at a vacant synagogue at 1040 Grand Concourse and opened to the public a year later. But it wasn’t until 2004 that the museum would undergo its first major renovation by design firm, Arquitectonica, resulting in the sleek 16,000-square-foot expansion which doubled the size of the museum and took two years to complete.

A rendering of what the Bronx Museum of the Arts is expected to look like once it is completed in 2026.Rendering courtesy Marvel

Following its commitment to education and outreach, the museum created a paid internship for high school students in 2005. The Teen Council taught hundreds of teenagers art-making techniques and allowed them to work side-by-side with professional artists. Just last year, the museum expanded its education to older adults, offering free art classes to adults 55 and older with the Lifelong Studio.

Over the years, the museum has hosted family weekends, community events and celebrity-studded exhibition opening parties with noted DJs while exhibiting both world renowned and hyper-local artists — all free of charge, thanks to the efforts of former museum director, Holly Block, who did away with admission fees in 2012.

“Free admission opens up all kinds of doors, literally,” said Laurie Cumbo, commissioner of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. “Cost is not an issue to obtaining your opportunity to be here.”

Now, the museum is undergoing its “rebirth” with an eye toward carbon neutrality. In addition to the upgrades of the new multi-story entrance and lobby, the old fossil fuel systems will be replaced with electric ones. Additionally, there will be new wall insulation, energy-efficient triple glazed windows and a solar-panel rooftop.

“It means cleaner air for our children to breathe, cooler temperatures at the peak of summer and a more livable city for all New Yorkers,” said Louis Molina, recently appointed commissioner of the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS).

In a borough where 17% of children 13 years old and younger have received an asthma diagnosis, clean air is a welcome reprieve.

A small model of what the Bronx Museum of the Arts is expected to look like when renovations are completed in 2026, sits in the museum lobby.Photo ET Rodriguez

The new south wing features glass walls and ceilings, connecting the building to the sidewalk and blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor.

“When you’re inside the building, you still feel connected to the Grand Concourse, to this amazing intersection of public space,” said Jonathan Marvel, founder of Marvel, the architectural firm behind the multi-million-dollar expansion.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he still has a home, Marvel’s involvement in the project brings the history of the neighborhood full circle. More than half of Bronxites are Spanish-speaking with Puerto Ricans starting the trend in the 1950s, settling in Spanish Harlem and eventually, the Bronx. And while Puerto Ricans were the dominant Latinx population for decades, today, that has been superseded by Dominicans and Mexicans.

“It not only preserves our rich cultural heritage — seeing all Spanish and English on a wall is important,” City Council Member Amanda Farías said of the bilingual museum. “It’s critical for our communities in terms of representation.”

Jonathan Marvel, head architects and founder of Marvel, the firm behind the latest renovation of the Bronx Museum of the Arts.Photo ET Rodriguez

The museum also inherited a new parcel of land from the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC), which owned the grounds behind 1040 Grand Concourse and was left vacant for decades. There are no clear plans for the space yet, but the hope is to perhaps create a café or use it to conduct after-school programming, according to Rob Walsh, president of the BXEDC. As of now, the possibilities are endless.

Slated to be completed in 2026, this new vision for the museum has been in the works since 2016 and was part of Block’s vision to make the Bronx a player in the art world. Unfortunately, she died of breast cancer in 2017 before she could see its completion.

“She really secured it as a team partner,” said Rodriguez. “She would be very, very proud to see where we are today.”

The Bronx Museum of the Arts breaks ground on its first major renovation since 2006.Photo ET Rodriguez

Reach ET Rodriguez at etrodriguez317@gmail.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes