Now add helium.
Photo: Getty Images
Tin Building, we hardly knew ye. Just kidding: We knew ye quite well, and serious financial troubles have hardly been a secret. A closing report this week does not come as a surprise. What is unexpected is what the massive waterfront space will become. Seaport Entertainment Group put out a statement this week to announce that “current food and beverage operations at the Tin Building will close immediately to begin preparations for the Balloon Museum.”
Balloon Museum? To its credit, the name is extremely self-explanatory, and Elite Daily even let its readers know way back in 2022 that “the Balloon Museum from Emily in Paris Season 3 is real.” According to the official site, “Balloon Museum is a format created by a curatorial team that designs and realizes contemporary art exhibitions with specific works in which ‘air’ is the distinctive element.”
In the cities where Balloon Museum has already — ahem — popped up, the project has proven to be quite the draw. It does seem to offer a unique experience, which was always the issue for Tin Building when it was home to the Jean-Georges Vongerichten–branded food hall: It offered a zillion different things to eat, all of which were already available in other, more convenient areas of the city.
After declaring it a flop last year, I heard from a handful of readers who said they loved it, but the praise made it clear just how limited the Tin Building’s use case was: It could be a useful grocery hub for Fidi residents, it was a nice place to run in for people who make frequent use of the NYC Ferry, and … that was about it. Rumors that operations were paring down have been making their way through the food world for a few months, even as it limped along. Now, though? Now there will be balloons. And crowds, most likely. The museum is set to open this summer.
