Columbus Circle: MAD Opens this Weekend

The new Museum of Arts and Design, which occupies a 54,000-square-foot space at 2 Columbus Circle, opened today.

Its permanent exhibit contains more than 2,000 objects, including the largest collection of contemporary jewelry in the country.

This weekend, the museum will be free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The museum is housed in the former "Lollipop Building" that for the longest time was covered in scaffolding. It had the nickname The Lollipop building because it's Venetian inspired vertical palazzo had perforated port like holes at the base - hence lollipops.

One of New York's most photographed buildings it never received landmark status. It has been on the National Historic Trust's 100 most endangered sites on earth.

For years preservationists have been fighting to stop them from changing the facade. The architecture is 1960's urbanisim. Since it was not a pre-war but post war the landmarks commission never held hearings to save the facade. Many argued that it should be saved because it is bizarre looking.