Progress on Southampton’s Parrish Art Musuem, and its replacement

Rendering of the new Parrish Art Museum

The skeleton of the new Parrish Art Museum has begun to rise in Water Mill, just as Southampton is finalizing plans for its former building on Jobs Lane. According to the Observer, the scaled back structure — revised downward in cost to $26.2 million from $80 million in 2009 — is 80 percent financed and construction is on schedule. The barnlike, Herzog & de Meuron-designed building will be as wide as a city block and house 12,300 square feet of exhibition space, allowing the museum to showcase more of its own collection. In turn, the museum will be able to land more work from collectors who want assurances that their contributions are on display, said Terrie Sultan, the museum’s director.

“With a building like that, they have the opportunity to do some exciting shows,” said Adam Sender, head of Exis Capital Management, a Sag Harbor vacationer and a big art collector. According to the Observer, he’s the type of patron the museum wants to attract.

Meanwhile, the Parrish’s lease at its current space is up next summer, and Southampton hopes its replacement, the Southampton Center for the Arts, anchors a local art district. The center will incorporate visual and performing arts as well as education, and hopes to lure both summer and year-round residents. [NYO]