Introduction
In 1940, after years of storing and exhibiting its collection in borrowed or repurposed spaces, the Grand Rapids Public Museum moved into 54 Jefferson, a 30,000 square foot facility, one of the last projects to be funded under the W.P.A. during the Great Depression. Over the next fifty years, 54 Jefferson, with a whale skeleton suspended in its great hall, and mammal dioramas and displays of rocks and minerals, taxidermied birds and other natural history specimens in the adjoining galleries, was visited by nearly every schoolchild in Grand Rapids. In 1994, faced with the deteriorating condition of the building and changing museum standards, the museum relocated to a new facility, leaving dioramas, showcases and exhibits behind. Since that time, 54 Jefferson has been maintained by the museum and the city of Grand Rapids, but has otherwise been largely closed to the public.
Beginning in 2010, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has collaborated with SiTE:LAB, a non-profit that conducts art exhibitions in vacant buildings, on a series of projects in 54 Jefferson. Allowing the public – and particularly those who still remember the space from grade school field trips – to again enter the space has fostered renewed interest in the future of this iconic building. SiTE:LAB used that attention to initiate a community driven reexamination of the building’s potential as a public space, and as a first step in that process, conducted this ideas competition. http://54jeff.org
Challenge
We challenged competitors to create compelling visions for the future of this former museum. While not every proposal may be feasible in light of the political, legal and financial obstacles facing the development of any new urban public space, each raised the community’s awareness of the unique potential of 54 Jefferson to serve Grand Rapids in new and innovative ways.
Objectives
This open one-stage competition sought proposals for the repurposing of 54 Jefferson that defined a vision for the building as a public space.
Jurors
Reed Kroloff
Eva Franch i Gilabert
Stephen Zacks
Alois Kronschlaeger
1st Prize
Danielle Berwick
Vancouver, Canada
2nd Prize
ABC-Studio
Nancy, France
3rd Prize + Student winner
Peter Dumbadze
U of M Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Honorable Mention
Progressive AE
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Honorable Mention
Trampush & Gunn
Seattle, Washington
Honorable Mention
Vert Studio
San Luis Obispo, California
Honorable Mention
Martin Antal
Austin, Texas