The Lower East Side’s New Museum could get a $38M expansion

UPDATED, 4:28 p.m. April 12: The New Museum of Contemporary Art wants to add a new seven-story building to its campus.

The museum filed plans on Friday with the Department of Buildings to construct the building directly adjacent to its current property at 235 Bowery on the Lower East Side, adding about 40,000 square feet of space to the institution. The total cost of the project would be about $37.9 million.

The museum was founded in 1977 and re-opened at 235 Bowery in 2007, according to its website.

Lower East Side residents have been pushing back against taller buildings lately. A group of four organizations and five residents sued the city in March over the approvals it gave to towers planned for 247 Cherry Street, 260 South Street and 259 Clinton Street, alleging that officials illegally approved the projects.

Other city museums are looking to expand their footprints or renovate. In Midtown, the Museum of Modern Art is closing its doors for four months between June and October for a $400 million reconfiguration of its galleries. On the Upper West Side, the Museum of Natural History is awaiting approval from the state’s Appellate Division for the addition of a five-story, 230,000-square-foot space along Columbus Avenue.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the museum was looking to add seven stories to its current building rather than construct a new seven-story building.