What Is the Story Behind the Building on 8th Avenue and 57th Street That Serves As a Pedestal for the Big Glass Tower?
The Hearst Building, known originally as the International Magazine Building, was designed in 1927 by the Vienna-born designer and architect Joseph Urban. At the time of its construction, it was intended to act as the base for a monumental tower that was never built. Because it is landmarked, the Hearst Building could not be demolished when plans to expand it were revived. Norman Foster's much-praised "green" structure that sits atop Urban's building, despite its very different style, captures some of the theatricality of the original plan.