Stairway to Geffen
Geffen staircase from ground level, near head-on (photo in Christopher Knight's Facebook post) Are the stairways to the David Geffen Galleries too unwelcoming, too overwhelming? In a Facebook post Christopher Knight reports that there are 60 steps ("It was like the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan.") This draws numerous comments, nearly all negative. ("Nothing says 'welcome to our museum' like a Medieval wall of steep stairs.") Some commenters are confused by the photo Knight chose to illustrate his post. It appears to be a telephoto view from ground level that really flattens the perspective. Side views show the steps have a shallow pitch and large landings. In short, the Geffen steps are not steep but there are a lot of them. Sixty steps is the equivalent of four flights of stairs. Thomas Frick points out one irony: "I remember Govan saying—pre-Swiss architect—that every flight of stairs lost X% of audience." ("Stairway to Geffen...
