New York, Nov. 21 (Reuters): The Museum of Modern Art reopened to the public yesterday after a two-year, $825-million renovation and expansion that about doubled its size.

The 75-year-old waived its $20 admission fee for the day and drew thousands of art lovers from around the block and around the world.

?It?s magnificent,? said Blanche Liker, an elderly Brooklyn resident who stood in line for about one-and-a-half hours before entering the 650,000 square-foot museum. ?For me, it brought back memories,? she said. ?I remember these paintings when I was a girl.?

The museum moved to 53rd St. in 1939 and occupies an area that includes the former site of a townhouse owned by US industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller.

When the museum closed its doors in May 2002, it opened a temporary location in the borough of Queens to display some of its collection and hold expositions.

Designed by Japanese architect Yoshio Taniguchi, the project expanded and unified the museum?s various buildings and additions into a whole. The renovation permitted the museum to reinstall its architecture and design, and photography collections that had been squeezed out because of lack of space.