Judge Ott Will Again Hear Arguments in the Barnes Case

The legal Battle of the Barnes continues. The ball was in the court of Judge Stanley Ott, and he's just swung back.

In a citation from Montgomery County Orphans' Court, dated Sept. 5 and addressed individually to all the board members of the Barnes Foundation, Judge Ott issued the following decree:

We command you, that, laying aside all business and excuses whatsoever, you be and appear in your proper person, at the Orphans' Court...on the fifth day of October 2007 to show cause why the relief requested in the petition [by the Friends of the Barnes and others] should not be granted....Hereof fail not.

Judge Ott, fail not! Is there a chance that he might reverse his decision to allow the Barnes to move to Philadelphia, as requested by the Friends of the Barnes?

Carolyn Carluccio, whatever happened to the petition against the Philly Barnes that you had intended to file on behalf of Montgomery County? Now's the time.

Meanwhile, you may recall the last time I commented on the activities of the architects who have been chosen to design the Philly Barnes: Tod Williams and Billie Tsien were "working feverishly on a solution" to stop water from raining down in the galleries of the American Folk Art Museum.