American Museum of Natural History Proposal for Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation

NYC Parks has completed its environmental review and has issued its approval of the American Museum of Natural History’s proposed new building, the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation. The Museum is located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, which is City-owned parkland under the jurisdiction of NYC Parks. The Gilder Center will be a five-story, approximately 203,000 gross-square-foot (gsf) addition on the west side of the Museum complex facing Columbus Avenue at 79th Street. The proposed project will also include approximately 42,000 gsf of renovations to existing space (for a total of 245,000 gsf of new construction and renovation) and alterations to an approximately 75,000 square-foot adjacent area of Theodore Roosevelt Park.

The Gilder Center project will integrate the Museum’s scientific research, collections, and exhibitions with its educational programming, provide new innovative exhibition space, improve circulation, and upgrade and revitalize the Museum’s facilities to address critical needs. It will improve the connectivity, spatial logic, and function of the Museum’s interior spaces and service areas. The Gilder Center will largely be set within the area currently occupied by the Museum; three existing buildings within the Museum complex will be removed to minimize the footprint on land that is now open space in Theodore Roosevelt Park to about 11,600 square feet at grade (approximately a quarter acre).

On March 2, 2016, NYC Parks, as lead agency for the City Environmental Quality Review for the proposed project, issued a Positive Declaration for the project and directed that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) be prepared. At the same time, a Draft Scope of Work for the EIS was issued for public comment. To receive public comments, a Public Scoping Meeting was held on April 6, 2016 and written comments were accepted by NYC Parks through April 20, 2016. The Final Scope of Work for the EIS, including a summary of comments received and responses to those comments, was issued on April 25, 2017.

On May 18, 2017, NYC Parks issued the Draft EIS for this project. To receive public comments on the Draft EIS, a public hearing was held on June 15, 2017 and written comments were accepted by NYC Parks through June 26, 2017. The Final EIS for this project, including a summary of comments received and responses to those comments, was issued on November 15, 2017.

On December 4, 2017, NYC Parks issued a Statement of Findings for this project. The NYC Parks approval is set forth in letters dated December 4, 2017 and April 25, 2018.

Contact person: Owen Wells, Director of Environmental Review
New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
The Arsenal, Central Park
830 Fifth Avenue, Room 401
New York, New York 10065

Telephone: (212) 360-3492
Fax: (212) 360-3453
Email: owen.wells@parks.nyc.gov

The project documents can be obtained at the links below and also are available for public inspection at the following locations:  NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, The Arsenal in Central Park; and St. Agnes Library, 444 Amsterdam Avenue.

Project Documents

FEIS