Home, a new arts center in Manchester, is due to open in Spring 2015 as part of a movement that looks to establish Northern England as a viable contender in a country that places artistic and cultural emphasis on London. £25 million went towards the creation of the center and its multiple art galleries, performing spaces, and restaurants. The city hopes that Home will continue the success of the biennial Manchester International Festival, which has featured work by artists such as Matthew Barney, Steve McQueen, and Marina Abramović. (more…)

Headed by the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and with a $200 million budget, the restoration of the Park Avenue Armory is in excellent hands. The New York Times reports that the refurbishment of the Armory, expected to be complete in 2018, has continued almost uninterrupted since the Park Avenue Conservancy signed a 99-year lease with the state 7 years ago. Yet it was only in the year 2000 that the Park Avenue Armory made the list of the world’s top 100 most endangered structures, according to the World Monuments Fund. When completed, the Park Avenue Armory would “visibly straddle past and present while being actively used. It will be living, lived-in history.” (more…)