Not to be outdone by the Whitney annex downtown, the Lower East Side's New Museum is planning an expansion of its own, already having secured property next door to its existing space. Museum executives have disclosed an approximate price tag of $16 million for the new property; this is on top of the initial $50 million for the museum's extant gallery space at 231 Bowery -- relocated from its previous home at SoHo.

Immediate plans for the new space include storage and housing additional offices until a long-term plan can be hammered out. With the Whitney reasserting itself as a vanguard for definitive if comparatively tame American artwork through its downtown presence, it's reassuring to see the New Museum -- a venue for more avant-garde artwork -- herald its own greatness through this ballsy expansion.