Young Architect, With Deep Roots At Brooklyn Museum, Becomes Lead on $50MM Renovation
The Brooklyn Museum has taken some major steps in transformative changes to reach audiences in the new century. Just one among many is the hiring of a visionary capital projects executive, Brooklyn native Brigham Keehner, to redesign and reinvigorate some of the museum’s public spaces in tandem with the 200th anniversary of its founding.
“I came to the museum because of a shared passion for serving the city, its people and its environment with a broader impact on social justice,” says Keehner, who grew up on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. “It’s an organization that is adept at envisioning how places can heal, restore and reimagine the physical and social fabric of our urban spaces.”
Outgoing mayor Bill de Blasio granted the museum $50 million in November 2021, thanks to the “tenacity” of museum director Anne Pasternak, Keehner says. A large part of that gift will go toward upgrading and revitalizing roughly 40 thousand square feet of gallery space on the fourth and fifth floors. “That’s our American and European collections,” explains Keehner. “They contain lots of paintings and sculptures, furniture and industrial design, and actual homes and living spaces from [old-time] Brooklyn.”