International Museum of Cartoon Art
International Museum of Cartoon Art
Designed by STH Architects of West Palm Beach, Florida, The International Museum of Cartoon Art is one of south Florida's most imaginative destinations. The exterior personality of the museum responds in character, color, texture, material and scale with the site's upscale area of shops, restaurants and theatres; a liberal Mediterranean-style interpretation popularized by Addison Mizner. Simple and direct detailing offers animated whimsy that beckons one in for a humorous treat. Sculpture terraces, colonnade, and a glockenspiel clock tower creates instant visitor response The main floor houses 25,000 square feet with fifty percent of the space dedicated to exhibits and the remainder comprised of a library, exhibit support, gift shop, cafe, outdoor sculpture garden, and administrative space. Also included in the design is a 250-seat Theatre, as well as demonstration studios. Founded in 1974 by cartoonist Mort Walker, who created Beetle Bailey, the National Cartoon Museum was formerly known as the International Museum of Cartoon Art. The Museum was located in Greenwich, Connecticut until 1977, when it relocated to a renovated castle in Rye Brook, New York in order to accommodate its burgeoning collections and expanding activities. As the collection surpassed 100,000 pieces, a larger and more permanent home became necessary. The city of Boca Raton, Florida invited the Museum to construct a 52,000 square foot facility as part of an effort to attract cultural institutions to Palm Beach County and in 1992, the Museum moved to Boca Raton. In 2002, the Museum decided to return to its northern roots and initiated its move to New York City and renamed itself The National Cartoon Museum. The Empire State Building is the fourth home in the museum’s 30 years of existence. The National Cartoon Museum, which possesses one of the largest and most important collections of cartoon art in the world, will open in its new home in New York City’s Empire State Building, which will be the museum’s fourth home in its 30 year existence, in early 2007. The Museum, which was the first in the world exclusively devoted to cartoon art, will occupy 14,000 square feet on three newly renovated floors.
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