In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the New York City Council and the Manhattan Borough President’s Office will present a $1,750,000 award to the Hispanic Society to support the third phase of their Master Plan. The award presentation will be followed by a Gallery Talk about the Puerto Rican artist, José Campeche, and a tour of the Museum.

New York, NY – (October 2015) The Office of New York City Council Member Mark Levine and The Hispanic Society of America (Hispanic Society) are proud to present A Presentation of the Capital Award to The Hispanic Society of America in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Tuesday, October 13th from 9:00 to 11:00 am at the Hispanic Society in upper Manhattan, west of Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets.

The event will feature a Gallery Talk about the painting Portrait of María Catalina de Urrutia by the celebrated Puerto Rican artist, José Campeche (1751-1809), and a tour of the Museum by Marcus Burke, Senior Curator at the Hispanic Society; and speeches by The Hon. Mark Levine, Council Member, District 7; The Hon. Melissa MarkViverito, Speaker, New York City Council; The Hon. Edwin Torres, Acting Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and The Hon. Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President. They will present a $1,750,000 award to the Hispanic Society to support the third phase of its Master Plan, which includes the replacement of their Main Building roof and internal restoration designed to improve the experience of the visitors of the Museum.

The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by the American Hispanist, Archer M. Huntington (1870-1955), with the objective of establishing a free public museum and reference library for the study of the arts, literature, and history of Spain, Portugal, Latin America, the Philippines, and other areas where Spanish or Portuguese have been spoken languages. “The increasing importance of the Hispanic population in the U.S.—New York and Washington Heights in particular—has greatly underscored the relevance of the Hispanic Society’s mission to foster the study and appreciation of the diverse artistic and cultural traditions of the Hispanic world. The city’s investment in the restoration project of the Hispanic Society will help ensure its continuation as one of the few museums with a world-renowned collection that is open free to the public and that offers regularly scheduled public programs to thousands of people,” explained Council Member Mark Levine.

“Since 1997, the Hispanic Society has been committed to developing and implementing a Master Plan that thoughtfully restores its NYC Landmark and National Historic Landmark buildings to bring them up to museum standards and better serve the public. We are very grateful to The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York City Council, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President for supporting the restoration of this significant community asset in Upper Manhattan. This project not only improves the visual experience for residents and visitors, it also encourages further reinvestment in a neighborhood that boasts impressive pre-war architecture,” explained Mitchell A. Codding, Executive Director of the Hispanic Society.

The Presentation of the Capital Award to The Hispanic Society of America in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is free and open to the public. To R.S.V.P. please send an email to friends@wordpress-1222768-4350958.cloudwaysapps.com.

About The Hispanic Society of America

The Hispanic Society of America was founded in 1904 by Archer M. Huntington with the purpose of advancing the study and appreciation of the art, literature, and culture of the Hispanic world. Museum highlights include masterworks by El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, and Sorolla; sculpture by Pedro de Mena and Luisa Roldán; Latin American paintings by Vázquez, López de Arteaga, Rodríguez Juárez, and Campeche; as well as masterpieces in all areas of the decorative arts. The Museum and reference library are open six days a week free of charge, and offer education and outreach programming.

About The Hispanic Society of America Master Plan and Capital Award

In 1997, the Hispanic Society started to develop and implement a Master Plan to restore its NYC Landmark and National Historic Landmark buildings. In 2010, we completed a full restoration of the Sorolla Gallery building—distinguished by the series of monumental paintings, Vision of Spain, by Spanish artist Joaquín Sorolla. More recently, the capital work has focused on sealing the envelope of the Beaux-Arts buildings, which includes cleaning and restoring the limestone façades of our Main and East Buildings. This phase of the project was funded in part by a $1,400,000 capital award from The New York City Council and the Department of Cultural Affairs. The next phase of the Master Plan will focus on replacing the Main Building roof and interior renovations that will both respect the original architecture and improve the visitor’s experience. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the New York City Council, and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President have made contributions totaling $2,250,000 to this phase of the Master Plan.