THE FRICK COLLECTION

THE FRICK COLLECTION FAST 70TH STREET • NEW YORK • NEW YORK 10021 June 10, 2014 Dear Neighbor, We are writing to share with you the news of The Frick Collection's plans to renovate and to create several new galleries and educational facilities. The continued growth of our permanent collection, an increased number of visitors, and the expansion of our education programs have made it clear that we need to improve our facilities in order to maintain the quality of the visitor experience and to better care for our treasured art works. This undertaking will enable the Frick to better utilize existing spaces and display more of its permanent collection, while at the same time improving visitor access and greatly enhancing the museum's education and conservation facilities. Historical rooms on the mansion's second floor—which have been previously inaccessible to the public—will now be opened as exhibition galleries. In the fall, we will be holding informational sessions so that we can share with our members and neighbors further details about the planned expansion. Until then, we would like to describe the proposal here in general terms. • An addition to the Frick will be constructed to the east of the existing building along 70th Street, in what is currently a gated side garden. This small garden has always been inaccessible to the public and was built on land acquired for eventual expansion of the museum's exhibition space. The design of the addition—by Davis Brody Bond Architects and Planners, the firm responsible for the award-winning 2011 Portico gallery adaption— will be consistent with the style, history, and architecture of the original mansion and its conversion to a museum (completed in 1935). The addition will be appropriate to the historic district and its immediate context. This addition will provide a new gallery, an expanded entrance hall, two education classrooms, a 220-seat auditorium, and a garden terrace. The new galleries will allow the museum to better accommodate special exhibitions without having to take works from the permanent collection off public view, which it often must do. • The addition will provide desperately needed services for the public, including two new elevators, barrier free access, additional bathrooms, and larger coat check facilities. The Frick An Reference Library will expand as will the conservation lab, and a new seminar room for visiting scholars and public seminars will be added. TELEPHONE (212) 288-0700 FAX ( 212 ) 628'4417 EFTA01196076 • The addition will permit several of the mansion's historic second-floor rooms overlooking Fifth Avenue to be opened as public galleries. These rooms include the family's original breakfast room and the bedrooms of Mrs. Henry Clay Frick and Miss Helen Frick. These spaces have never before been accessible to the public and will provide an opportunity to display more objects from the permanent collection. This process will necessitate obtaining building permits, approvals from the Landmarks Preservation Commission, and presenting to Community Board 8. Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2017, with completion as early as 2020. This letter marks only the beginning of what we intend to be a dialogue with our members and neighbors to ensure that the Frick remains an integral and responsible part of its community. Our construction plan will take into account the needs and concerns of our neighbors, focusing on quality-of-life issues to mitigate any inconvenience that might be caused. We hope you will join us in our enthusiasm for this project and the possibilities it promises for the Frick's future. We will keep you updated as we progress and notify you about the dates and times of the informational sessions we will be holding this fall. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]. With sincere regards, IMor ENxil Margot Bogert Ian Wardropper Chairman, Board of Trustees Director EFTA01196077