Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times The South Street Seaport Museum.Having struggled to make a go of the South Street Seaport Museum in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Museum of the City of New York has decided to pull out of running the troubled institution.
“Sandy really just did us in,†said Susan Henshaw Jones, the City Museum’s president, who has been stewarding both institutions in what was considered a last-ditch effort. “There still exists this huge amount of post-Sandy work that is enormous in terms of dollars, which is going to take years.â€
Ms. Jones added that her boad wants her to concentrate on the City Museum on Fifth Avenue at 103d Street.
In dire financial straits, the Seaport Museum was rescued by the City Museum in 2011. A $2 million grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation gave it 18 months to put the Seaport museum back on solid footing, and the period was extended for nine months. The museum also received $750,000 from private donors and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The City Museum had just reopened the Seaport Museum after a one-year hiatus. Sandy sent water surging to six feet at the lobby entrance, wiping out the building’s electrical systems and destroying its cafe, admission desk, computer system and gift shop.
“It’s a huge personal sadness for me,†Ms. Jones said. “It’s just not workable.â€
T! he city’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which has been involved in helping the Seaport Museum, held out hope of a further rescue. “We’re working to see if we can find another entity†that can take over the organization, said Kate D. Levin, the cultural affairs commissioner. If no group comes forward, responsibility for the museum will fall to the New York State attorney general.
