The New York Times architecture critic today takes a hard look at the design plans for the new museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway which will house the famous Barnes Collection -- and isn't impressed. Nicolai Ouroussoff says the slick new design lacks the eccentric charm of the Merion mansion where the collection has lived for decades. Here's an excerpt:
But the result is a convoluted design. Almost every detail seems to ache from the strain of trying to preserve the spirit of the original building in a very different context. The failure to do so, despite such an earnest effort, is the strongest argument yet for why the Barnes should not be moved in the first place.
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