The three finalists were named Thursday to design the new The Clyfford Still Museum in Denver. They are Allied Works Architecture of Portland, Ore., Diller Scofidio + Renfro of New York, and Ohlhausen DuBois Architects of New York. They were chosen from a field of 23 initial candidates.
The three finalists will return to Denver for presentations before the Clyfford Still Architect Selection Committee, culiminating in a free public lecture at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Colorado Convention Center.
The approximately 30,000 square foot museum will be located within Denver’s Civic Center Cultural Complex on the east side of Bannock Street south of 13th Avenue. It will accommodate galleries for Still’s work, educational spaces, collection storage, a conservation laboratory, library and public areas. It has an estimated completion date of 2009.
“The selection committee has been thoroughly impressed and encouraged by the exceptional talent and creativity we have seen from these finalists,” said museum director Dean Sobel. “Each firm selected clearly demonstrated an understanding of the critical nature of designing a world-class museum that showcases Still’s tremendous creativity while not overshadowing his artistic vision.”
The finalists at a glance:
Brad Cloepfil’s Allied Works Architecture designed the St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum; extensions to the Seattle Art Museum and University of Michigan Museum of Art; as well as the renovation of Edward Durrell Stone’s iconic Two Columbus Circle in New York, the new facility for the Museum of Arts & Design.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the new facility for Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (opening this month). They are also working with New York’s Lincoln Center for the Arts on key renovations and additions to various facilities, including Alice Tully Hall and The Julliard School. Diller + Scofidio were the first architects to receive the MacArthur Foundation Genius Fellowship.
Ohlhausen DuBois Architects designed the Gatehouse performing arts space at Aaron Davis Hall; the Cooper Union Residence Hall; Danese Gallery; and the renovation of the John L. Tishman Auditorium at New School University, all in New York, as well as the Klein Residence in Santa Fe, dubbed “among the finest American homes built for art.”
