The Watermill Center is located on a wooded six-acre site in the Hamptons, Long Island, two hours by car from New York City. The site includes a former Western Union factory building, where the technology that led to the fax machine was invented. Robert Wilson has designed and developed the facility at Watermill gradually since he acquired the property in 1992. Many aspects of the master plan were realized in collaboration with participants of the Summer Program. Both the building and the landscaped Watermill Center grounds are characterized by the careful arrangement and integration of natural and man-made components. These features bear the imprint of Robert Wilson's aesthetic ideals and shape the atmosphere of the site.
The final phase of Watermill Center construction is scheduled from August 2004 to May 2006. Upon completion of its building, the Watermill Center will serve both local and international communities. The Center will host the Watermill Collection and operate as a study center for Asian and Tribal Arts, focusing on aesthetic and formal themes in world art. In addition, the Watermill Center will be home to the Robert Wilson Archive, a collection of photographs, papers, and video recordings that documents the artistic career of Robert Wilson and his collaborators. The permanent Watermill Center facility will include:
