Two months after its festive opening, the Adjaye Associates-designed Studio Museum in Harlem evacuated visitors from its gift shop following a messy “sprinkler emergency.”
A museum visitor who asked to remain anonymous told Hyperallergic that staff instructed guests to leave the museum this afternoon, January 23, as water poured from the ceiling near the gift shop.
“We saw a large pool of water on the floor near the entrance, and saw the water flowing down in the store,” the visitor said.
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The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) responded to the incident. A spokesperson for the FDNY told Hyperallergic they received a call for a “sprinkler emergency” at 2:30 pm on Friday. The incident was resolved by 3pm, and there were no injuries.
Videos captured by bystanders show water raining steadily from the ceiling, including one containing light fixtures. “I hope nothing is damaging the artwork,” one visitor is heard saying. The Studio Museum has not yet responded to Hyperallergic’s immediate request for comment.
The Studio Museum repened to the public on November 15 following a seven-year closure and the construction of a new building by Adjaye Associates with Cooper Robertson. (Adjaye was accused of sexual misconduct in 2023 and had since stepped away from the Studio Museum project. He has denied the allegations.) The new 82,000-square-foot building reportedly cost $160 million.
