Nearly a year after opinion's flared over the new Parrish Museum's design, people—including the mayor of Southampton—are again up in arms of the museum's decision to relocate. (The museum is currently located on Jobs Lane in Southampton; the new location is a 14-acre field on Montauk Highway in Water Mill.) According to the Observer, trouble first started when the museum set its sights on becoming "the art museum of all the Hamptons." To win that title, the museum directors needed to jazz up their historic Jobs Lane facility—but the village review board just wouldn't let 'em. So the museum purchased a plot of land, commissioned the $25 million art barn shown above, and never looked back. Apparently, the two parties "haven't spoken much since."
Now that the museum is set to break ground in as early as a month, Southampton's mayor shares some choice words with the ambitious Parrish people. For starters, he finds it mind-blowing that "they're walking away from 100 years of history." He even calls the relocation "the worst thing that ever happened to the village." And don't get him (or anyone else) started on the new, relatively remote location, because yes, you'll have to drive there.
Several ideas have been tossed around, including an above-ground skating rink. But the mayor hopes that the eventual use will remain "artistic," whether it be for hosting live theater or the Hamptons International Film Festival. Decisions, decisions.
· Art Tussle in the Hamptons: The Tony Parrish Museum Is Leaving Town on Bad Terms [Observer]
· All Parrish Art Museum Coverage [Curbed Hamptons]
Loading comments...