The Hearst Tower celebrates the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening, with an exhibition of the work of Foster + Partners. Entitled, Building with History, the exhibition illustrates the practice’s approach to working within a historical context, and encapsulates the journey thus far, from the creation of the Sackler Galleries at London’s Royal Academy of Arts in the early 90s, to the ongoing Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Foster + Partners’ first project in New York, Hearst Tower is an exemplar of the practice’s approach towards revitalising historic buildings. Built atop the Art Deco inspired International Magazine Building commissioned by William Randolph Hearst and designed by Joseph Urban, the new building follows Hearst’s original intent of crowning the six-story podium with a tower. The original building forms a grand hall at its base, which is the social heart of the building.
Norman Foster, Chairman and Founder, Foster + Partners said: “This exhibit brings back many memories about the inception of Hearst Tower. Walking into the building a decade later, you immediately note the flourishing sense of community, and it takes me back to the very earliest days of the project.”
Over the past five decades, Foster + Partners has designed a number of contemporary additions to significant historic structures. These have sensitively extended the buildings, and broadened their potential uses, while improving readability and the capacity to attract enthusiastic new users. The exhibit includes numerous models, sketches, drawings, and photographs chronicling the projects of Norman Foster and Foster + Partners.
The exhibition will be held in the gallery spaces in the 3rd floor atrium, and will be open to all Hearst employees and visitors till 15 April 2017.
