AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
TRANSFORMS 77TH STREET LOBBY INTO NEW "GRAND GALLERY"
RESTORED PUBLIC SPACE PROVIDES ELEGANT NEW SETTING FOR GREAT CANOE
 Grand Gallery and Haida Canoe© Roderick Mickens/AMNHThe American Museum of Natural History has completed a major renovation of the Museum's historic 77th Street lobby that restored the grandeur of its original 1904 design and celebrates the preservation and revitalization of a century-old Museum icon—the 63-foot-long Great Canoe. The newly renamed "Grand Gallery" is the first phase of a major $37 million renovation and restoration project involving the famous "castle" façade on 77th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue that served as the main entrance to the Museum from the late 1890s to the early 1930s.
"We are thrilled to unveil the newly restored Grand Gallery with the gorgeous Great Canoe as its centerpiece," said Ellen V. Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History. "This magnificent gathering space, now restored to its original elegance, is a key element in the revitalization of the entire historic south side of the Museum, which also includes the important new Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins and a major restoration of the Museum's signature castle façade along 77th Street, underway in the years ahead."
 Haida Canoe detail© Roderick Mickens/AMNHThe best-known feature of the 77th Street lobby, the Great Canoe has been carefully and thoroughly restored by Museum conservators, and the 17 life-size Northwest Coast Indian figures that peopled the canoe since 1910 have been removed and placed in storage. The Great Canoe has now been placed in a new position of elevated prominence, literally being raised more than seven feet off the ground. From this spectacular new vantage point, "floating" above the heads of visitors, the artistry and beauty of the exterior of the Great Canoe is evident from all angles.
This massive dugout canoe—the longest of its type still surviving—carved from the trunk of a single large cedar tree, was acquired in 1883. The enormous canoe displays the work of craftsmen from more than one of the First Nations of British Columbia. Oral traditions from both the Haida and the Heiltsuk nations indicate strong associations with this canoe. Some experts think the canoe is primarily of Heiltsuk manufacture, and that the primary carver may have been Captain Carpenter (1841-1931), a prominent Heiltsuk artist of the period. The canoe's body style follows a "Northern" form associated especially with the Haida, and the painting on the canoe appears to be the work of Charles Edenshaw (1839-1920), an influential Haida artist famed for his painting, sculpture, and metalwork.
 Haida Canoe restoration© Roderick Mickens/AMNHAlthough the Great Canoe provides a dynamic focal point, the rest of the Grand Gallery has undergone an equally impressive transformation. The old terrazzo flooring has been peeled away to reveal the original mosaics of Carrara marble including an elegant rose compass design. The tiles have been cleaned and restored, and 24 inverted glass bowl chandeliers, replicas of 1890s lighting fixtures similar to those found in the renovated fossil halls on the fourth floor, have been installed. In addition to the period lamps, modern state-of-the-art recessed track lighting brings new drama to this reconfigured lobby. The Grand Gallery is now a grand gateway to the Museum's oldest hall—the Hall of Northwest Coast Indians (originally known as the Hall of North Pacific Peoples when it opened in 1899).
The ongoing renovation of the Museum's 77th Street South Side is one of the largest and most ambitious restoration projects the institution has ever undertaken. About $28 million for the project has been pledged by New York City, and the rest has been privately financed. Designed by Cady, Berg & See, the Museum's five interconnected 77th Street buildings, built between 1891 and 1897, have been hailed as the best examples of Romanesque Revival architecture in New York City. However, the graceful arches, the thick masonry walls, and the elegant towers have all suffered significant deterioration over the last century.
 Haida Canoe restoration© Roderick Mickens/AMNHThis massive project is scheduled to be completed in three years and will restore and repair the entire 700-foot-long south facade of the Museum. The greatest challenge will be the reconstruction of the sweeping staircase and monumental arch of the porte-cochere where 19th-century visitors to the Museum, many arriving by horse-drawn carriage, ascended the granite steps into the main entrance. The structure will be partially dismantled, outfitted with a new waterproof membrane, new asphalt pavers set into the main landing, and the original granite treads repaired and replaced. Another significant component will be the restoration of 637 windows along the façade.
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