If We Don’t Honor The Career Of Edward Durell Stone, Who Will?

Christopher Gray has blood on his hands! After much legal wrangling, the Lollipop Building at Columbus Circle has been sold by the city to the Museum of Arts & Design. Renovation work to start “immediately.” The Post gloats:

Columbus Circle’s “Lollipop” has sucked its last.

The Museum of Arts & Design bought the empty, Moorish-ornamented folly from the city yesterday, allowing the museum to start work immediately on a long-awaited but controversial redesign.

The purchase climaxed a two-year struggle against preservationists who had sued to prevent the city from selling the building.

The museum, now scrunched into a small gallery in Midtown, is paying $17 million for the 10-story, white marble structure designed by Edward Durell Stone in the 1960s. It is nicknamed the “Lollipop” for its quirky, Venetian-style pillars.

. . . Stone’s mostly windowless facade facing Central Park will be replaced with a new exterior of terra cotta and glass designed by Brad Clopefil.

. . .

After years of city indecision, Mayor Bloomberg turned down offers by Donald Trump and others, and designated the museum to buy the former Huntington Hartford Gallery of Art in 2003.

The sale became a flashpoint issue between those who regarded it as a useless eyesore of no value to the public and those who felt it should be preserved as-is at all costs.

Although the sale was overwhelmingly approved by community board members and the City Council, preservationist groups argued that the building marked an important turning point in Stone’s career and should not be altered.

They sued the city’s Economic Development Corp. for “fraud,” the Landmarks Preservation Commission for not granting 2 Columbus Circle protected status, and museum officials for alleged “collusion.”

All the suits and subsequent appeals were thrown out of court.

It’s actually a tough week for architect Stone; on Wednesday night, the St. Louis Cardinals played their final game at Busch Stadium, which Stone collaborated on. Demolition of the stadium is set to begin like right away.

Bonus Points: Recent Past Preservation Network’s Edward Durell Stone Page.