New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has tested positive for the presence of Legionella bacteria. The museum is among 31 large buildings on the Upper East Side ordered by the city’s Department of Health to immediately disinfect their cooling towers as officials work to contain a new outbreak that has already infected more than 50 people across the city.
Museum officials and health authorities stressed that the Guggenheim has remained open throughout the investigation and that detecting Legionella does not automatically identify the building as the source of the outbreak. Laboratory tests can detect both living and non-viable bacteria, making it difficult to determine whether a cooling tower is actively spreading the pathogen. The museum added that its cooling towers are inspected monthly by independent specialists and that there is currently no risk to visitors.
The outbreak has revived concerns because of New York City’s history with Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. The disease takes its name from the 1976 American Legion convention in Philadelphia, where the first major modern outbreak was identified. The bacteria thrive in warm water systems and can proliferate in complex plumbing networks, industrial water systems and, most notably, cooling towers installed on rooftops.
Health officials continue to closely monitor the situation. Fewer than 20 patients are currently hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported.
Last year, an outbreak in Harlem claimed seven lives and infected more than 100 people. Investigators ultimately traced the source to cooling towers at a local hospital and a nearby municipal construction site.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Legionnaires’ disease is not transmitted from person to person, does not contaminate drinking water and is not spread through indoor air-conditioning systems. Infection occurs only by inhaling microscopic droplets of contaminated water released into the air by outdoor water systems.
Symptoms—including high fever, cough and severe breathing difficulties—typically appear between two days and two weeks after exposure. People over 50, smokers and those with weakened immune systems or underlying lung disease face the highest risk of developing severe illness.
As inspections continue and mandatory disinfection is completed across the affected buildings, the Guggenheim remains open to visitors from around the world. Its celebrated white spiral on Fifth Avenue continues to welcome art lovers even as investigators work to determine the source of New York City’s latest Legionella outbreak.
