Progress is well underway on the Whitney’s future home—in a way that everyone can see. On May 24, 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg presided over a groundbreaking ceremony at the building site, which is located at the corner of Washington and Gansevoort Streets; construction began soon thereafter. Since September, the team has been working on a below-grade structure, which will support the building. 

Even a heavy building like the future Whitney requires a stable foundation on which to sit. The construction site lies in the Meatpacking District, an area of Manhattan, which was created by the city long ago by pouring landfill excavated from other building sites into the Hudson River. The changing water pressure from the Hudson produces tremendous force: after digging about a dozen feet into the ground, river water begins to seep out from beneath the landfill and into the construction site. To hold back this water, an underground wall is being built around the perimeter of the site. To prepare for it, the crew has been drilling long metal tubes called ‘piles’ approximately one hundred feet below the surface, which will secure the building’s foundation to the strong bedrock below.

Remember: the Museum will open to the public in 2015. Until then, follow along as we build the Whitney of the Future.