Editing Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (section)

==== Construction and opening ====
[[File:Guggenheim Museum construction LOC gsc.5a25494.jpg|thumb|300px|Photo of the construction, November 12, 1957]]
Sweeney and Wright had a strained relationship, as they disagreed over basic elements of the museum's plan.<ref name=Stern812/><ref name="NPS pp. 23–24">{{harvnb|National Park Service|2005|ps=.|pp=23–24}}</ref> Sweeney, who believed its architecture should be subservient to the art, forced Wright to redesign it to accommodate more offices and storage facilities.<ref name="NPS pp. 23–24"/> The building's lighting was a significant point of contention between them.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Glueck |first=Grace |author-link=Grace Glueck |date=April 15, 1986 |title=James Johnson Sweeney Dies; Art Critic and Museum Head |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/15/obituaries/james-johnson-sweeney-dies-art-critic-and-museum-head.html |access-date=October 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=Stern814>{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=814}}</ref> The [[New York City Department of Buildings]] (DOB) also rejected Wright's application for a construction permit in 1953 because the design did not meet building codes.<ref name="nyt-1959-04-10">{{Cite news |date=April 10, 1959 |title=Only Commission in New York Was Guggenheim Art Museum |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/04/10/archives/only-commission-in-new-york-was-guggenheim-art-museum.html |access-date=October 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Wright tasked Holden with ensuring that the design met codes<ref>{{harvnb|National Park Service|2005|ps=.|pp=25–26}}</ref> and published revised drawings in 1954 and 1956.<ref>{{harvnb|Pfeiffer|1995|ps=.|pp=29, 33}}</ref> Museum staff nevertheless complained that Wright's design did not provide enough storage or laboratory space.<ref name="nyt-1959-04-10" /> To save money, he modified the design again in 1955, though these savings were canceled out by increasing construction costs.<ref name=Stern814/>

Four general contractors submitted bids in late 1954,<ref name=Stern814/> and the foundation ultimately hired the Euclid Construction Corporation.<ref name="Newsday 1956">{{cite news |date=May 8, 1956 |title=Start Guggenheim Museum Job in NY |page=4 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|879069229}}}}</ref><ref name=Pfeiffer33>{{harvnb|Pfeiffer|1995|ps=.| p=33}}</ref> The museum rented the [[Oliver Gould Jennings House]] at 7 East 72nd Street and relocated there before construction began.<ref name=Stern814/> On May 6, 1956, demolition of the site's existing buildings began.<ref name="Newsday 1956"/><ref>{{cite news |date=May 7, 1956 |title=Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright Is Begun |page=A10 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1327080364}}}}</ref> The DOB issued a construction permit on May 23,<ref name=Stern814/> and work on the museum began on August 14.<ref name=Pfeiffer33 /><ref name=Stern814/> Wright opened an office in New York City to oversee the construction, which he felt required his personal attention, and appointed his son-in-law [[William Wesley Peters]] to supervise the day-to-day work.<ref name=Stern812/><ref name=Pfeiffer33/> In practice, neither Wright nor Peters visited the site frequently, so Holden's William Short ended up managing the project.<ref name=Stern814/>

Sweeney wanted the new museum to allow "building up a collection which offers up a standard of judgment".<ref name="nyt-1956-11-18">{{Cite news |last=Ashton |first=Dore |date=November 18, 1956 |title=Museum; Director of Guggenheim Discusses His Plans An Ambitious Program |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1956/11/18/archives/museum-director-of-guggenheim-discusses-his-plans-an-ambitious.html |access-date=October 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He wanted to change the color scheme, level out the sloping walls and remove the clerestory windows, which led to prolonged disputes with Wright.<ref name=NPS25/><ref name=Stern816/><ref name=Pfeiffer34>{{harvnb|Pfeiffer|1995|ps=.|pp=34–35}}</ref> By early 1958, [[Harry F. Guggenheim]] had to handle all communications between Sweeney and Wright, who would not speak to each other.<ref name=Stern816>{{harvnb|Stern| Mellins|Fishman|1995| ps=.| p=816}}</ref> The building [[topped out]] in May 1958,<ref>{{cite magazine |date=June 1958 |title=Window Leaks Overcome |url=https://usmodernist.org/AR/AR-1958-06.pdf |magazine=Architectural Forum |volume=102 |page=11}}</ref><ref name=Stern815>{{harvnb|Stern|Mellins|Fishman|1995|ps=.|p=815}}</ref> and the scaffolding on the facade was removed by that August.<ref name=Stern815/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 31, 1958 |title=Guggenheim Museum Progresses |page=R2 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|114561749}}}}</ref> Meanwhile, Wright published drawings of the design in several architectural magazines, as he feared the design would be compromised after his death.<ref name=Stern816/><ref name=NPS25>{{harvnb|National Park Service|2005|ps=.|p=25}}</ref> Against his request, Sweeney painted the walls white and hung paintings from metal bars instead of placing them directly on the walls.<ref name=NPS25/><ref name=Pfeiffer34/> The building was Wright's last major work; he died in April 1959, six months before its opening.<ref name=time>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071013163633/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,892851,00.html "Art: Last Monument"]. ''Time''. November 2, 1959.</ref>

The building [[Soft launch|soft-opened]] for members of the media on October 20, 1959.<ref name=Stern816/> It was formally dedicated the next day,{{sfn|Spector|2001|p=16}}<ref name="nyt-1959-10-22">{{Cite news |last=Knox |first=Sanka |date=October 22, 1959 |title=New Art Museum Is Dedicated Here |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1959/10/22/archives/new-art-museum-is-dedicated-here-dedication-fete-held-at-museum.html |access-date=October 4, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Bird 1959">{{cite news |last=Bird |first=Robert S. |date=October 22, 1959 |title=600 an Hour See Guggenheim Museum: Thrilled, Puzzled, Angered by Frank Lloyd Wright Structure |page=18 |work=New York Herald Tribune |issn=1941-0646 |id={{ProQuest|1328041965}}}}</ref> drawing 600 visitors per hour.<ref name="Bird 1959"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Francis |date=October 22, 1959 |title=Guggenheim Art Museum Draws Crowds, Praise |page=4 |work=Newsday |id={{ProQuest|898127716}}}}</ref> Its design was generally able to accommodate the retrospectives and temporary exhibits that it hosted over the years.<ref name=Loebl283/>