Dia finds new home in its old one

The Dia Art Foundation will return to 545 West 22nd Street, building a new space on the footprint of the Chelsea exhibition site it current owns and rents out to the PaceWildenstein gallery. The gallery’s lease is up in 2011. Dia has been on the hunt for a new home in the city since 2004. After outgrowing its two Chelsea locations, Dia initially planned on opening a museum at the entrance to the High Line. The Whitney Museum has since commandeered that site after the Dia lost two directors in a row in addition to its largest benefactor, Leonard Riggio, former chairman of the board. Dia does not plan to hire a star architect — instead, said current director Philippe Vergne, they are looking for a “utilitarian envelope for art” with “no bling.” He said the museum hopes to break ground in 2012.

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