From the architect. The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center needed to upgrade and expand its exhibition and support space for the museum that uses the life lessons of Yogi Berra, the New York Yankees and baseball to teach and promote good sportsmanship, respect, integrity, social justice and the pursuit of excellence.
The museum also wished to transform its unwelcoming and defensive appearance. The existing museum is located in a minor league ballpark outbuilding on a very tight site and never properly addressed how to express or display the interesting baseball artifacts held within; such as, 10 world championship rings, World Series trophies, and baseballs signed by Babe Ruth. In addition to exhibiting baseball artifacts, the museum is a learning center where it conducts classes for young adults in leadership, citizenship and personal and social responsibility. The challenge, for this non-profit organization, was to expand space for exhibiting baseball’s finest memorabilia, to create space for group presentation, teaching, and receptions and to transform the exterior entrance appearance to reflect the persona of Yogi Berra within a very modest budget on a restrictive site.