BM considers opening facility at Olympicopolis
Museum looking at a range of options for Blythe House collections
The British Museum (BM) is looking at opening a facility in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to house the collections it currently holds in storage at Blythe House.
The Olympic park in East London is one of a number of options the museum has been considering to house its Blythe House collections after the government confirmed plans to sell the London storage facility in last year’s Autumn Statement.
The chancellor allocated £150m to enable the three institutions that hold collections at Blythe House, the BM, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), to build new facilities to house their objects.
A BM spokeswoman said it was “very early days” for conversations regarding the future of its Blythe House collections.
“The British Museum is considering a range of options in response to the chancellor's announcement on Blythe House. The museum has had exploratory conversations with a number of institutions,” she said.
The Olympic site, dubbed “Olympicopolis”, is being redeveloped as an education and cultural district, with the V&A, Sadler’s Wells Theatre and the London College of Fashion already committed to establishing a permanent presence there.
The Smithsonian Institution in the US has postponed a decision on whether to go ahead with plans to set up its first foreign venture at the East London park.
Board members had been due to vote this week on whether to give the project the green light, but a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian said it had not yet completed due diligence on its plans, including a review of capital and operating costs, programming and sources of funding.
Smithsonian secretary David Skorton said he remained “enthusiastic” about the project. A final decision is likely in June.
A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park said: “We’re continuing to talk with the Smithsonian and we’re very keen for them to come here.”
The Olympic park in East London is one of a number of options the museum has been considering to house its Blythe House collections after the government confirmed plans to sell the London storage facility in last year’s Autumn Statement.
The chancellor allocated £150m to enable the three institutions that hold collections at Blythe House, the BM, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), to build new facilities to house their objects.
A BM spokeswoman said it was “very early days” for conversations regarding the future of its Blythe House collections.
“The British Museum is considering a range of options in response to the chancellor's announcement on Blythe House. The museum has had exploratory conversations with a number of institutions,” she said.
The Olympic site, dubbed “Olympicopolis”, is being redeveloped as an education and cultural district, with the V&A, Sadler’s Wells Theatre and the London College of Fashion already committed to establishing a permanent presence there.
The Smithsonian Institution in the US has postponed a decision on whether to go ahead with plans to set up its first foreign venture at the East London park.
Board members had been due to vote this week on whether to give the project the green light, but a spokeswoman for the Smithsonian said it had not yet completed due diligence on its plans, including a review of capital and operating costs, programming and sources of funding.
Smithsonian secretary David Skorton said he remained “enthusiastic” about the project. A final decision is likely in June.
A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park said: “We’re continuing to talk with the Smithsonian and we’re very keen for them to come here.”