MOBIA
The Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) was the first scholarly Museum dedicated to art inspired by the Bible. Located at Broadway and 61st Street in a Modernist steel and glass building designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in the 1960s, the Museum inherited a gallery and rare-books area in a space formerly occupied by the Gallery at the American Bible Society.
The new design retained the original glass and bronze wall that fronts the stacks holding the Museum’s rare scripture collection. Inspired by the modernist details of the existing building, Lopergolo introduced a polished concrete floor to the entire space which provided a balance to the highly crafted details of the ebony wood millwork and doors. New bronze metal and glass windows allowed abundant natural light to enter the space, while climatically separating the museum’s new Education Center from the building’s two-story atrium.
With this new design and reorganization, an addition of 30% more usable space was created. A full upgrade of the mechanical systems, including lighting, climate control, sprinklers and security systems brought the Museum up to state-of-the-art standards.
Photos by Peter Aaron
Selected Publications
The New York Times, 2005
Interior Design, 2005