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Friends of the Barnes Foundation (FBF) Press
Releases - Archive
May 16, 2008
Friends of the Barnes Foundation, undaunted by Judge's dismissal of case, decries inaction of Attorney General.
Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley Ott issued a Memorandum Opinion denying legal standing for Friends of the Barnes Foundation and Montgomery County in the matter of the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania.
Release
May 1, 2008
Friends of the Barnes Foundation hail Montana's supreme court decision; seeks similar justice for Barnes
While awaiting the decision of Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley Ott to re-open hearings on the fate of the Barnes Foundation, Friends of the Barnes Foundation members are heartened by news of a stunning victory for champions of the Bair Museum in Montana.
Release
March 24, 2008
Despite sensible alternatives, current Barnes board pushes plan to dismantle the Barnes in Merion – a national treasure
Mr. Spade will ask Judge Ott to re-visit the matter because significant new developments have dramatically improved the financial situation of the Barnes Foundation in Merion.
Release
March 23, 2008
Friends of the barnes foundation attorney to argue in court for new hearings
Friends of the Barnes Foundation Attorney Eric F. Spade, Esquire will argue to re-open hearings on the Barnes Foundation controversy before Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley Ott on Monday, March 24 at 9:30am in Norristown.
Release
February 29, 2008
Friends of the Barnes Foundation files brief in Montgomery County Orphans’ Court
Friends of the Barnes Foundation (FBF) Attorney Eric Spade, Esquire, will be filing a Brief in Montgomery County Orphans’ Court in support of the group’s efforts to preserve an intact Barnes Foundation in Merion. The FBF Brief responds to Preliminary Objections filed by the Barnes Foundation and the Attorney General of Pennsylvania in October 2007 in response to the August 2007 Petition filed by the FBF. The Brief sets forth significant developments in Lower Merion Township and Montgomery County that, if undertaken by the Barnes Foundation, would eliminate the Foundation’s financial crisis and allow the Foundation to remain at its Merion location as intended by Dr. Albert Barnes when he established the Barnes Foundation.
Release
SPECIAL NOTE: On February 29, Montgomery County also filed a Brief in opposition to the Preliminary Objections of the Barnes Foundation and the Pennsylvania Attorney General.
Download the FBF brief (PDF - 144KB)
Download the Montgomery County brief (PDF - 1.93MB)
January 4, 2008
Pianist Beth Levin will perform J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on Sunday, January 27, 2008 in the first performance of the Artists’ Campaign to Save the Barnes Foundation.
Release
December 15, 2007
Historic Significance Makes Barnes Foundation a Candidate for Esteemed National Landmark Status
The extraordinary historical significance of the Barnes Foundation and new initiatives for its historic preservation were presented by Friends of the Barnes Foundation at a meeting of the Lower Merion Conservancy on Thursday. The speakers were Bill Bolger, National Historic Landmarks program manager for the National Park Service in Philadelphia, historian Robert Zaller, and Lower Merion Township Commissioner Brian Gordon.
Release
October 23, 2007
FBF announces the “Artists’ Campaign for the
Barnes”
To raise money for their battle to
save the Barnes Foundation, the grass-roots organization Friends of
the Barnes Foundation announces the “Artists’ Campaign
for the Barnes” to benefit the Legal Defense Fund.
Release
October 19, 2007
Judge Ott Raises Barnes Foundation Case to the Next Level
- Update. Today marked an important development for those working for preservation of the Barnes Foundation when Judge Stanley Ott moved the Barnes matter to the next level in Montgomery County Orphans' Court.
Release
October 19, 2007
Barnes Foundation Board’s Response: Judge, Don’t Listen to Those People
The response of the Barnes Foundation Board of Trustees to petitions filed in Montgomery County Orphans Court that seek to undo its plan to move the prized Barnes art collection are predictably dismissive. The Preliminary Objection attempts to shift the focus from the substantive issues raised is petitions filed by the Friends of the Barnes and Montgomery County, to whether the petitioners should be permitted to raise any issues at all. The document refers to the petitioners’ claims as "scurrilous" and asks Judge Stanley Ott to make the petitioners pay for its legal costs.
Release
October 17, 2007
Barnes Board of Trustees to Respond to Friends of the Barnes, Montco Petitions this Friday
On Friday, October 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Courtroom 10, current members of the Barnes Foundation Board of Trustees and Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett are due to respond to petitions filed by Friends of the Barnes Foundation and Montgomery County by the order of Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge Stanley R. Ott.
Release
September 28, 2007
Judge Ott combines two court dates for
Barnes Board to answer Friends of the Barnes, Montco
petitions
"Montgomery
County Orphans' Court Judge Stanley Ott has ordered members of the
Barnes Board of Trustees to appear on October
19 to respond to two
separate petitions recently filed by Friends of the Barnes Foundation,
and Montgomery County, the county in which the Barnes Foundation
was established in 1922. "
Release
September 18, 2007
Judge Ott Orders Barnes Board Members to appear in Court on October
19
to Respond to Montgomery County Petition
"Judge Stanley Ott has issued a Citation to members of the Board of Trustees
of the Barnes Foundation requiring them to appear in court on October 19, 2007
to respond to the filing of Montgomery County’s petition seeking preservation
of the Barnes Foundation in Merion."
Release
September 17, 2007
Montgomery County Petitions Montgomery
County Orphans’ Court to Reopen Hearings on the Barnes Foundation
"Two petitions have now been filed with Montgomery County Orphan’s
Court to reopen hearings on the Barnes matter. Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,
the historic home of the Barnes Foundation, filed its Petition on September
12, 2007, affirming the County’s statutory responsibility to preserve
the Barnes as an indivisible entity, comprised of its Art Collection,
Archives, and Arboretum."
Release
September 10, 2007
Judge Stanley Ott Orders Response from Barnes Board, PA Attorney
General to
Friends of the Barnes Foundation Petition
"Having reviewed the August 27, 2007 Petition of Friends of the Barnes
Foundation and others, Montgomery County Orphans’ Court Judge
Stanley R. Ott has ordered a response from the Barnes Foundation and
Pennsylvania Attorney General in an Order dated."
Release
August 27, 2007
Friends of the Barnes Foundation Files Petition
"The Petition requests that Judge Stanley R. Ott
reopen the proceedings to examine new evidence and to rescind his previous
orders including the order granting permission to the Barnes Board
of Trustees to move the Foundation’s gallery collection to a
site in Philadelphia. The Petition further requests that Judge Ott
remove the present Board of Directors and place the Foundation in receivership."
Release
August 24, 2007
Friends Filing Petition
Friends of the Barnes Foundation will hold a press conference on
Monday, August 27 to announce the organization's filing of a Petition
to Montgomery County Orphans' Court. The Petition requests that
the court order hearings to reexamine the December 13, 2004 decision
of Judge Stanley Ott granting permission for the Foundation’s
gallery art collection to be moved from the Merion site bequeathed
by Albert Barnes to a site in Philadelphia.
Release
August 8, 2007
The Barnes and Historic Landmark status
The National Historic Landmarks Program of the National Park
Service has responded to the preliminary assessment of the Barnes Foundation
as an applicant for National Historic Landmark status, saying that
the body would “be pleased to consider the NHL eligibility of
this resource (the Barnes Foundation)…”
Release
August 4, 2007
Public Officials Urge AG Corbett to Get with the Program
In a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, Montgomery County Board
of Commissioners Tom Ellis, Jim Matthews, and Ruth Damsker, U.S. Congressional
Representative Jim Gerlach, and Lower Merion Township Commissioner Brian Gordon
insist that Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett reexamine and reverse its
position supporting the move of the Barnes collection, in light of developments
with the County and Township that would more than satisfy the fiscal needs of
the Barnes in its current location. This letter represents and unprecedented
level of cooperation and activism by these federal, county, and local officials.
Release
June 20, 2007
Barnes Board Turns Thumbs Down on $50 Million Montco Offer
Barnes Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Bernard Watson has refused
Montgomery County’s offer of a $50 million lease-back proposal
that was made by the County to preserve the renowned Merion cultural
site. The Barnes Board has instead decided to continue with the plan
to dismantle the famed art collection and relocate it to a site in Philadelphia,
citing prior “commitments”.
Release
June 8, 2007
Montgomery County Commissioners Hire Attorney Mark Schwartz
for Barnes Matter
The decision stems from an earlier resolution by the three-member governing
body, which stated “the Barnes Foundation is a treasured institution
and is part of the fabric, character and culture of Lower Merion Township
and Montgomery County.” Also on Thursday, a National Historical
Landmark Eligibility Overview Assessment from the Cultural Resource Consulting
Group (CRCG) reported that the Barnes site is eligible for national landmark
status as a total entity of its arboretum, gallery buildings, and art
collections.
Release
May 13, 2007
First Public Debate about the Future of the Barnes Foundation
to be held at Drexel University
Two prominent area luminaries will meet Monday, May 21 to
debate the future of the Barnes Foundation and the controversial
plan to move the art collection from the world-renowned Barnes
Foundation in Merion to a site on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
in Philadelphia.
Release
March 29, 2007
Friends of the Barnes Seek Background on Move from Pew Head
Friends of the Barnes Foundation wants to shed light on the background
of the planned move of the Barnes Foundation from Merion to Philadelphia.
Release
March 23, 2007
PA Attorney General’s Office Refuses
to Release Documents to Friends of the Barnes Foundation
In an exchange that echoes recent struggles by
the press to obtain secret records of the Pennsylvania Higher Education
Assistance Agency (PHEAA), the Office of Pennsylvania Attorney General
Tom Corbett has denied a Right to Know Request from Friends of the
Barnes Foundation.
Release
March 1, 2007
Montgomery County Commissioners to Explore Legal Options to Block
Barnes Move from Merion
The Montgomery County Commissioners have announced their decision to
seek legal means to block the current plan to move the art collection
of the world-renowned Barnes Foundation from Merion to Philadelphia.
Release
November 30, 2006
What Is Good for Dr. Gross is Good for Dr.
Barnes Friends
of the Barnes Foundation Challenge Double Standard
Friends of the Barnes Foundation, the organization
dedicated to preserving the Barnes Foundation in Merion, draws unsettling
comparisons between the proposed move of Albert Barnes’ famed
art collection and the fate of The Gross
Clinic by Thomas Eakins and urges public debate of the issue.
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