Speaking of Richard Meier, the 72 year old architect has opened his Long Island City studio/model storage facility to the public. The 3,600 square foot space contains a collection of study models which span some 40 years: form his early houses to the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Architectural models are often shoved into back rooms or even relegated to the scrap heap, given that architects don't necessarily want to show off their rough drafts. But, like outtakes from a classic film or early versions of a great novel, the models can be more interesting to students and architecture fans than the final product, since they offer a window onto the creative process.

"I realized I should really have people in because it just sits here," the architect said in a recent interview at the studio. "To have all this and have no one see it is kind of crazy."

The space, which can be seen by appointment only on Fridays, by no means contains the entirety of Mr. Meier's work; much of it is still kept at his 10th Avenue office in the West 30s in Manhattan. But there is a substantial sampling - about 300 models. "You see I don't throw a lot away" he said.