January Issue 2001
Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC, Selects Uptown Site
The Board of Trustees of the Mint Museum of Art in selected a site and set a fund-raising goal for its campaign to build a new art museum in uptown Charlotte, NC.
The Board approved the location of a 125,000-square-foot facility at 11th and North Tryon streets, across from the Tryon Center for Visual Art. A $68 million capital campaign, to be funded by private and public contributions, was also approved. The campaign will fund the new building and provide future support for the care and maintenance of the facility and museum programs.
"This is an exciting time for the Mint Museum as well as for the city of Charlotte," said Mint Board Chair Mary Lou Babb. "We have had a long and rich history at our Eastover location and are proud of the successes we've had there. We now have the opportunity to build a new art museum in uptown Charlotte's vibrant cultural district, allowing the Mint to expand its offerings and become a true destination point for residents and visitors. The new museum will be a tremendous asset to our community."
Since the early 1990s, the Mint Museum has found itself limited in space, outgrowing its galleries, storage, offices and education areas. Eighty percent of the museum's holdings are now in storage at the current site. Its nationally recognized public education program also has no room to expand, allowing the curriculum to be offered to only two grade levels. Major touring exhibitions have been limited, due to the museum's traveling exhibition space of 4,500 square feet - much less than the 10,000 to 15,000 square feet typically required to house significant exhibits.
Plans call for the new art museum to specialize in the "Art of the Americas," which includes American art and arts of other cultures that have shaped American art.
"Due to the generosity of many past donors, we have an outstanding framework to build on to make this collection a reality," Babb said. "With the acquisition of additional significant paintings and furniture from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and the continued growth of other major components of the Mint's permanent collections, we expect to become a special museum that is nationally recognized. The new art museum will also include state-of-the-art technology-based educational programs. These programs will expand the educational opportunities for all the people of Charlotte, which is essential to realizing the Mint's mission."
The "Hal Marshall Site," a 17-acre site owned by the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County at llth and North Tryon streets, was ultimately deemed the best location for a new art museum. A public-private partnership between the city, county and Charlotte Center City Partners has begun soliciting developers to create a mixed-use development on the site that includes office, retail, residential and park space. An adjacent 18-acre parcel may be included in the development as well. New designs for the museum will include enough space for a 75,000-square-foot expansion at a later date. This uptown location would put the new art museum in the heart of the city's emerging cultural district, making it more accessible to residents and visitors alike.
With the museum's future plans in place, Mint leaders remain committed to its current Eastover location as well. "We treasure our 64-year history in Eastover, and we will fulfill our original promise of maintaining a museum presence and managing and operating the building," Babb said. "We want to identify opportunities where we can work with other nonprofit cultural institutions and create partnerships that will share the Eastover location with the Mint and ultimately enhance the mission of the museum. We are working with the city, as owners of the building, along with our Eastover neighbors, to ensure the best future uses for the facility."
This month, a Request for Proposal (REP) will be issued to four developers for the Hal Marshall site, with responses due in March. A developer should be selected by summer 2001. Working with the developer selected, Mint leaders would then appoint an architect selection committee to choose an architect for the building. The museum's public fund-raising campaign is expected to kick off this summer.
In coming weeks, a campaign chair and co-chairs will be named, along with a campaign cabinet. Mint leaders estimate the new art museum will open in late 2005.
Founded in 1933 and opened to the public in 1936, the Mint Museum of Art is North Carolina's oldest art museum. The museum's name reflects its original use as the first branch of the United States Mint in Philadelphia. The original building, completed in 1836, was located in uptown Charlotte and operated as a mint until the Civil War. It was then used as a Confederate Headquarters and hospital, as later as an assay office. In 1933, the building was bought by a group of preservationists for $950 and moved to its current site in the Eastover neighborhood. The present facility is a result of two expansions of the original building. The Mint Museum of Art and the Mint Museum of Craft + Design are supported by the annual fund drive of the Arts & Science Council - Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc.; the North Carolina Arts Council, a state agency; the city of Charlotte; and its members.
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