were moved. Renovation In 1981, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) listed the station among the 69 most deteriorated stations in the subway system. That same year, the MTA announced the creation of its Culture Stations program to install public art in the subway. The Culture Stations program was started to deter graffiti, and was inspired by legislation in the New York City Council that mandated that 1% of the cost of constructing public buildings be used for art. The program was modelled on the Louvre – Rivoli station on the Paris Métro, which featured reproductions of the artwork on display in the Louvre. Four stations, namely Fifth Avenue/53rd Street, Astor Place, Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum and 66th Street–Lincoln Center, were selected for the program due to their proximity to cultural institutions, and would be among the first stations part of the MTA's new station refurbishment program, which began in 1982. The Fifth Avenue station was chosen for its proximity to five museums, the New York Public Library Main Branch, and major corporations. The stations in the Culture Stations program were to be completed by making use of both private and public funding. This station was redesigned by Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects. The modernization project was opened to bidders on November 9, 1982, and was expected to cost between $4 and $6 million. Some funding for the renovation came from a $66 million grant that the Urban Mass Transportation Administration had given to the New York City Transit Authority in 1982. In addition, Fisher Brothers (the developers of the nearby Park Avenue Plaza office building) had contributed $100,000 to a special fund for improvements to the Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station. Design work was completed in 1983. The renovation was originally scheduled to be complete in December 1984 but was pushed back by two years. As part of the renovation, rows of light boxes containing displays showing information about objects in nearby museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, as well as points of interest in the vicinity, were installed on each platform. The light boxes were designed by the project's graphic designers, Pentagram. The walls adjacent to each platform were redecorated with red and white tiles. In addition, to prevent water seepage and to reduce noise, double layered metal linings were installed in the station. Architectural writer Paul Goldberger criticized the new design, saying: "Despite the good, there is little to