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Edward Minskoff had access to all this valuable sculpture he wanted to share with the city, whether the city wanted it or not.
It turned out the city wasn't so sure, but Mr. Minskoff was. So despite initial opposition from the Municipal Art Society, Community Board 5 and several members of New York's Planning Commission, the 55-year-old developer was granted permission to convert the public atrium in the IBM Building at 590 Madison Ave. into a sculpture garden.
It was an odd battle that pitted Mr. Minskoff against several individuals, such as Amanda Burden, and groups, such as the MAS, that would normally be supportive of a fine arts haven for the city. The problem was that Mr. Minskoff wanted to change a treasured public space with trees and chairs and places to eat lunch, which had been created by the original builders of the office tower as a quid pro quo for being allowed to add 131,000 square feet to the structure. "He came in very arrogant with his first plans," says an official at the Municipal Art Society, recalling the initial proposal that would have removed all the movable chairs and also installed guards. "They were abysmal."
Already, since the project was approved by the community board and the planning commission, Mr. Minskoff has closed the space to the public more times than his agreement with the city permits.
But that's Ed Minskoff. He knows exactly what he wants and, much...