Former Governors, Krens to Unveil Heritage Park, Mohawk Theater Plans
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Three of the movers behind the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art will reunite to promote another groundbreaking proposal.
But where the museum hosted the massive, this newest project at Western Gateway Heritage State Park will focus on the smallest.
Thomas Krens, originator of Mass MoCA, is proposing the development of an "extreme" model train exhibit on the model of Hamburg, Germany's Miniatur Wunderland, which is visited by more than 1 million a year.
Krens, director emeritus of the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation in New York City, will be joined by former Govs. William Weld and Michael Dukakis, along with Mayor Richard Alcombright and city officials to make the announcement on Saturday morning at the park.
The model train and architectural museum is one three components being proposed by Krens. In addition tothe redevelopment of Heritage Park, he is also planning a for-profit contemporary art museum near Harriman & West Airport and the renovation and revitalization of the Mohawk Theater.
Alcombright said he and City Solicitor John DeRosa have been in talks with Krens and other parties, including Richard Gluckman, the principal in Gluckman Tang Architects, over the past five months on this plan.
"We've managed to get former Gov. Weld very, very interested in this along with former Gov. Dukakis," the mayor said on Wednesday. "It's almost like a resurrection of those three guys coming back together to do another project."
Dukakis first supported the creation of Heritage Park and provided the intial boost for Mass MoCA; Weld, his successor, worked with the Legislature and private sector to create an economic model of public/private funding for the museum. Mass MoCA was unlikely to get off the ground without the $35 million injection in state bonding at its creation nearly two decades ago. The state recently approved another $25.4 million for the projects final phases,
According to press release on the announcement, "The new plans envision a North Adams-Williamstown 'Cultural Corridor,' a series of internationally prominent cultural destinations that will enhance the region's reputation as a widely recognized hub of cultural, educational and economic activity."
Krens' proposed for-profit museum is being considered as one of the cultural touchstones being created between North Adams and Williamstown that includes the redevelopment of the Redwood Motel and the Greylock Mill. He also has taken an interest in the moribund Mohawk Theater, leading several of his motorcycle club friends through theater recently to garner ideas.
The park proposal apparently comes from Krens own love of model trains.
"He's just infatuated with the one in Germany and others around the world," said the mayor. "He wants to size this to same scope and level as the one in Germany."
Miniatur Wunderland is more than a model train exhibit - it's a nearly fully realized world covering a number of countries and a diverse geography. Some 900 trains travel through nearly 14,000 square feet of landscapes, from sea shores to canyons to mountains.
It has an airport, ships moving along rivers, 200,000 figures, more than 250 moving vehicles and countless tableaus. Police chase criminals, firefighters respond to fires and even UFOs drop by. Visitors can interact with the display through 200 push button actions.
Alcombright said such ambitious plans fit well with the historical legacy of the park, once part of the city's booming freightyard, and align with its Vision 2030 plan.
Tags: Heritage State Park, Mohawk Theater, redevelopment, state officials,
