Studio Museum: a lighthouse on 125th Street
The Studio Museum in Harlem officially opens its purpose-built new home to the public on Saturday, November 15th. Today, November 6th, designboom attended a preview of the building and heard presentations from Studio Museum team Thelma Golden and Raymond J. McGuire, as well as architects Pascale Sablan and Erin Flynn.
From the moment the visitor approaches the new museum on West 125th Street in new Yorkthe design signals the fulfillment of its mission with its urban context. The project replaces the previous commercial structure adapted for the institution in 1982 and marks the first time the museum has created a home specifically for its programming.
Raymond J. McGuire, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Studio Museum in Harlem, describes the spirit of the museum and its program: 'This building tells the world: Harlem matters. Black art is important. Black institutions matter.
'It will stand as a lighthouse on 125th Street. A space where creativity and community meet, where young people can reflect and where orders of African descent can continue to shape our history. This new chapter was not inevitable. It was earned through decades of vision, responsibility and conviction.'
Exterior view of the Studio Museum in the new Harlem building, 2025. Courtesy of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto
Architect Pascale Sablan draws from the streets of Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is consciously oriented towards the “street, the stage, the sanctuary and the stairs”. Across the city, these are familiar typologies of gathering, expression and belonging. Architect Pascale Sablan of Adjaye Associates echoed this when she said: 'We hope that every surface, every light-filled space and every moment of this building will tell you about this mission.' The museum occupies the same footprint as the previous museum, but has been redesigned for the 21st century.
At street level, a double-height window opens the museum to the sidewalk: visitors can feel daylight filtering through the interior of the gallery, while the wide façade activates Harlem's pedestrian flow. The facade consists of dark gray precast concrete elements with sandblasted and polished surfaces, intermediate glass and a bronze-colored curtain wall with vertical slats. This material palette references the area's masonry architecture while giving the building a sophisticated presence.
Exterior view of the Studio Museum in the new Harlem building, 2025. Courtesy of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto
a museum as a “turnaround bow”
Inside, the “inverted staircase” welcomes visitors as a tiered area that leads from the street down into the museum lobby. The architects describe this gesture as an invitation to connection. It is a spatial threshold that brings visitors from the city into the institution without much resistance.
The Studio Museum in Harlem offers 82,000 square feet of indoor space, representing a more than fifty percent increase in exhibition space and nearly sixty percent more public spaces. The gallery spaces are spread over several floors: the second and third floors contain exhibition galleries and the education center; the fourth floor houses studios for the artist-in-residence program and a reading room; the fifth floor offers flexible event space; The sixth floor rooftop terrace offers breathtaking views of Harlem and beyond.
The vertical circulation is anchored by a monumental terrazzo-clad staircase located in the central vertical gallery, connecting the lower level to the fourth floor. Corridor galleries and stairs from the fourth floor to the roof are constructed of precast concrete with satin brass railings, balancing material consistency throughout the building.
Exterior of the Studio Museum in the new Harlem building, with David Hammons' Untitled Flag (2004), 2025. Courtesy of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto
Public spaces are designed to feel porous. The lower level cafe, reception center, lecture and performance hall, retail and project spaces are all connected to exhibition areas. The design teams prioritized accessibility with two elevators (one for visitors and freight) and accessible paths throughout the building. Thelma Golden, director of the Ford Foundation and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, notes: 'This building is a reflection of all of that' – the mission of the institution, the energy of the community, the aspirations of the artists.
In her remarks at the preview event, Erin Flynn, RA, LEED AP, Partner, Cooper Robertson, emphasized: 'Our goal is to foster a sense of engagement between the building's many different users…whether someone is discovering the art, participating in educational programs, creating in the artists' studios, or simply enjoying a coffee.'
The “Reverse Stoop” is a stepped area that leads from the street into the lobby. Image © designboom
Daylight penetrates deep into the building through skylights and double-height rooms. The third floor gallery includes a double-height barrel-vaulted space to accommodate large-scale works. Educational workshops and studios are positioned adjacent to the gallery spaces so that production and exhibition coexist. Four art niches on the street facade provide space for sculptures and outdoor installations.
The roof terrace, whose gardens are curated through landscaping company Studio Zewde features plantings around the garden and views of the Harlem skyline. It allows events and informal gatherings to be held outdoors as an extension of the gallery into the city.
During the presentation, Golden asks participants: 'Think about what it took to get here… our resilience, our longevity, our continued relevance in this moment.'
“From the Studio: Fifty-Eight Years of Artists in Residence” (installation view) at the Museum’s Artist in Residence Studios, 2025. Courtesy of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto
The Studio Museum's new home in Harlem is more than an architectural milestone, it is a commitment to expanded programming. The exhibition spaces, artists-in-residence studios, educational workshops, and rooftop terrace all aim to expand the museum's role in the neighborhood and beyond. The building will house temporary exhibition spaces, a permanent collection, public programs and spaces for community engagement.