Natural History Museum Can Resume Expansion, Court Says

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The American Museum of Natural History once again has permission to resume construction on its planned $383 million expansion, a museum spokesman said.

A New York State Supreme Court appellate judge lifted a stay on construction for the planned Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation on Tuesday, a museum spokesman said.

"The Museum is extremely pleased that yesterday’s decision to lift the stay will allow all work to proceed. We look forward to the appellate court’s decision and have every expectation that the NYS Supreme Court’s clear decision on the merits, will be affirmed on appeal," museum spokesman Scott Rohan said in a statement.

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The stay prevented the museum from conducting any construction that would affect green spaces in Theodore Roosevelt Park. The planned Gilder Center expansion will take up a quarter-acre of the park.

A museum spokesman could not confirm when construction is expected to resume in Theodore Roosevelt Park because a new work schedule is currently being developed.

State Supreme Court judge Lynn Kotler ruled against the Community United to Protect Theodore Roosevelt Park's legal challenge of the $383 million Gilder Center. The preservation group argued that the city Parks Department incorrectly interpreted a 142-year-old law when it approved the American Museum of Natural History's plan to build its new facility in the park.

Community United also argued that the museum should have been required to go through the city's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure to obtain permits for the expansion, which Kolter disagreed with.

The American Museum of Natural History filed building plans for the Gilder Center in August 2017 after receiving approvals for the project from Community Board 7 and the city Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2016.

The $383 million Gilder Center will expand the American Museum of Natural History's footprint into Theodore Roosevelt Park by a quarter-acre, according to museum plans. The new five-story facility will add a total of 230,000 square feet of space to the American Museum of Natural History, according to plans filed with the Department of Buildings. The American Museum of Natural History plans to complete the Gilder Center by 2021.

Rendering by Studio Gang Architects courtesy American Museum of Natural History