NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEW YORK - USA
The museum and collection
The museum and collectionThe 4th floor of the New York Historical Society – theHenry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture- recently underwent major renovation to reopen in May2017. The refurbished space, designed by renowned Czecharchitect, Eva Jiřičná, has been completely transformed:the re-imagined permanent collection is spread across fourgalleries, which are dedicated to women’s history, Tiffanylamps, silverwork and landmark objects respectively.
The assignment
To help the NYHS achieve this ambitious redevelopment,Meyvaert produced approximately 73 display cases: 21cases for the North Gallery, 9 cases for the Corridor Galleryand 43 for the Tiffany Gallery. Many of the showcasesfeature complex low-reflective curved glass, such as therecessed wall cases and the cylindrical freestanding cases.Two incredibly large showcases were also produced:measuring 30m in length and 6m in height. A plethora ofopening systems were used: multi-pivot doors and tilt andslide opening mechanisms. Some of the display casesincorporate drawers and fiber optic lighting.
The project: challenges & result
“The historical nature of the building in Manhattan meantthere were no proper unloading facilities, no storage spaceon site and only one old historical lift we could use totransport all the materials to the 4th floor. Furthermore, ourinstallation team faced suboptimal site conditions as themain contractor was still busy working in the building atthe time of installation. Nevertheless, Meyvaert succeededin completing the project successfully, despite thesechallenging site conditions and the tight project completiondeadline (12 months from start to finish).”- Gerhard Schlanzky - Director of Exhibitions, New-YorkHistorical Society
