WHITNEY MUSEUM TO SELL NEARBY TOWN HOUSES

In the hope of raising sixty million dollars, the Whitney Museum of American Art is seeking to sell five town houses next to its Madison Avenue location that were slated to be part of a defunct, controversial plan to expand on the Upper East Side in New York, reports Theresa Agovino in Crain’s New York Business. A Whitney spokesman said the museum is in the early stages of exploring a sale and will use the money to fund the new building it is planning in the meatpacking district. The Whitney spokesman wouldn’t confirm the dollar figure and said a sale would have to be approved by the institution’s board. The town houses would be a challenging development site because they reside in an historic district. Any demolition or work done on the exterior would need to be approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In 2006, the Whitney scrapped a plan to construct a tower behind the town houses even though it had won the necessary approvals despite bitter opposition from some Upper East Side residents and preservationists.