New York State Maritime Museum – south street seaport
Brian McMahon worked as Restoration Coordinator for the State of New York on the South Street Seaport project in lower Manhattan in the mid- 1970s. The state acquired the Schermerhorn Row block with intentions of creating a maritime museum. Most of the twenty-three buildings on the square block were occupied on the first floor by commercial tenants associated with the Fulton Fish Market. The upper floors were partially occupied by artists, among them, noted sculptor Mark di Suvero. Some of the upper floors were vacant and had been sealed off. McMahon’s first responsibility was property management, doing a thorough occupancy survey and an initial study to determine the condition of the buildings. Over the next several years the state retained museum planning firms and restoration architects to do planning studies. During that time McMahon developed and designed interim exhibits relating to the history of the block and the planning process being undertaken by the state. Four years into the project, the state decided it would abandon the expensive plans for a museum and would sell the block to the Rouse Company to redevelop it as a commercial venture. McMahon worked with a team of consultants to publish several historic structures reports that would include guidelines for the upcoming renovations.
FFA Gallery, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, 1980s. Art gallery, owned and operated by Brian McMahon, which received critical acclaim in numerous publications including the New York Times and Newsday. 1980s.
Alan Rzepka Exhibit
Chair by Jim Nickel
SHERIDAN SCHOOL RICHFIELD, MN, PLAYGROUND DESIGN PROJECT with Frank Gehry
In 1992 Brian McMahon worked as a volunteer teaching design at his daughter’s first grade class. Students made models of an abstract playhouse. This was happening at the same time that architect Frank Gehry was completing the Weisman Art Museum at the University of Minnesota. Brian arranged to have Gehry ‘critique’ the student projects which were displayed on the stage of the Northrop Auditorium. Gehry did a quick sketch of the models which he presented to the class.
Bungalows of the Twin Cities, Ramsey County Historical Society, 1995. This received an award from the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission and the Saint Paul Chapter of the American Institute of Architects
Thinking About Fishhouses, Heritage Center, Osakis, MN, 1993
Brian McMahon Preservation 