MANHATTAN — The Children’s Museum of Manhattan reportedly may decamp to the Lower East Side to increase its size after spending the past 26 years on the Upper West Side.
The museum is in talks with the developers of Essex Crossing, the massive mixed-use development currently under construction near the Williamsburg Bridge, The Villager first reported.
The new space would allow it to double in size, the newspaper reported.
Essex Crossing's developer, Delancey Street Associates, would not confirm the report.
“We are talking to a number of world-class cultural institutions about coming to Essex Crossing,” said Delancey Street Associates spokesman James Yolles.
Located in a 38,000-square-foot building on West 83rd Street, the museum is a favorite hangout spot for Upper West Side parents with infants and toddlers. There are a variety of seasonal exhibits, as well as those exploring aspects of American culture — from the Jazz Age to football.
An annex of the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh was set to move into the 6-acre development, but backed out in March, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Essex Crossing will feature 1.9 million square feet of residential, commercial and community space, according to the Essex Crossing website.
So far, only three retail tenants have been confirmed: Regal Cinema, which plans to open a 14-screen theater; Splitsville Luxury Lanes, which intends to build a 17,000-square-foot “bowling, dining and family entertainment venue”; and Planet Fitness, which is expected to open in 2018, the fitness chain announced last month.
The development will also feature a 15,000-square-foot park and 1,000 residential units, half of which will be affordable.
