Archinect - News

Beyer Blinder Belle-designed new National Urban League headquarters rises in Harlem

2024-06-15T06:22:00-04:00

Beyer Blinder Belle’s design for the National Urban League’s new headquarters, which also houses New York City’s first civil rights museum, has risen in Harlem.

The National Urban League is a historical civil rights organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of and the elevation of living standards in historically underserved urban communities. This milestone marks the completion of the organization’s relocation from their former Lower Manhattan office.

Called the Urban Empowerment Center, the new 17-story, 414,000-square-foot building was delivered through a collaboration between private, public, and state organizations. In addition to the headquarters, it will include the Urban Civil Rights Museum Experience and the National Urban League Institute for Race, Equity, and Justice.

The building also features 90,000 square feet of office space, 84,000 square feet of retail space, and 171 affordable apartments. The changes in the structure’s glass curtain wall and massing resp...

Peterson Rich Office will lead major renovation of the Met's key public areas

2023-12-01T17:09:00-05:00

Peterson Rich Office (PRO) has been announced as the architect of a major renovation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City that will overhaul its Fifth Avenue entrance, gift shop, and other public areas over a period of several years.

The Met says this work will be conducted in two phases: the new gallery will be enacted first near the Great Hall, followed by the renovation of the outside plaza area and a reconfiguration of existing dining areas.

The gallery will be completed in 2026, resulting in an 11,500-square-foot space for The Costume Institute’s annual spring show and other curatorial activities. The former employee's entrance at 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue will also be remade to allow better public access to the building. Beyer Blinder Belle is attached to the project as the executive architect, following their renovation of the museum’s European paintings galleries that was completed this month.

Related on Archinect: The Met's Jhaelen Hernandez-Eli details hi...

Construction starts on $416 million, mixed-income development in Upper Manhattan

2023-05-11T17:48:00-04:00

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the start of construction of a $416 million mixed-income, mixed-use residential development in the Inwood neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. It will include nearly 700 apartments, including 281 affordable units, and provide a range of carbon-reducing features, including all-electric heating and cooling, in line with the state’s climate goals.

Designed by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, the development is part of Hochul’s $25 billion Housing Plan that will create or preserve 100,000 affordable homes across New York, including 10,000 with supportive services for vulnerable populations, in addition to the electrification of 50,000 others.

The two buildings that comprise the development are located at 405 and 407 West 206th Street. They will feature a mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with forty percent of them reserved for those earning at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). An additional ten percent o...

Grimshaw and Arup unveil designs for their massive Union Station revamp in D.C.

2022-07-26T18:35:00-04:00

A short month removed from its last update on the $10 billion project, Grimshaw Architects has unveiled renderings for the expansion of Union Station in Washington, D.C. that provide a clearer picture of how the revised plan will take shape over the coming two decades.

At the center of the design is the new train concourse defined by a clear-span roof canopy and beset with a series of skylight features lying directly north of the existing Beaux-Arts hall from 1907. Much of that original structure has been left untouched, while transportation upgrades are present in the form of expanded rail platforms, an elevated and greenery-lined new drop-off area, and new entry portals that alleviate crowding from the Columbus Circle side while allowing access to the nearby H Street corridor.

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration via U.S. Commission of Fine Arts

Image courtesy Federal Railroad Administration v...

Renderings of the Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in Orlando unveiled

2022-04-14T17:18:00-04:00

The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida (HMREC) has just revealed architectural renderings for the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in downtown Orlando, Florida. It aims to be the world’s first Holocaust museum designed around survivor and witness testimonies.

The USC Shoah Foundation will serve as a content and creative partner in the development of the new museum. This is the first time the Foundation has teamed with a Holocaust Museum to design and implement a ground-up and permanent museum-wide exhibition.

Recently featured on Archinect: 'Everyone Talks About Silver Linings, It's Hard to Talk About Opportunities': A Conversation with Elizabeth Leber, Managing Partner at Beyer Blinder Belle

The museum will occupy a lakefront site and span 43,000 square feet. It has an estimated construction budget of $45 million, with its design led by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners (BBB). The firm will collaborate with museum experts Ralph Appelbaum ...

These are the 10 most successful NYC architects of the past year according to TRD

2022-02-01T12:07:00-05:00

CRE publication The Real Deal has released its annual list of the ten most commercially successful firms in New York City’s high-profile building market. Most of our readers will recognize these firms as regulars in Archinect Jobs.

As the architects of record, these firms appeared in permitting documents for developments that totaled more than 13.5 million square feet in total area. TDR ranked the firms by the aggregated square footage of their business output.

SLCE took the top billing with 10 projects worth a total of 3.1 million square feet followed by Handel Architects, which had a total of five projects and 2.5 million square feet combined. The top two were followed by Perkins Eastman, which had six totaling 2 million square feet, including a planned 74-story development in Long Island City. Beyer Blinder Belle took the fourth slot with 1.4 million square feet and four developments, followed by Gene Kaufman Architects, which registered five with a total of 1.3 million square ...

Beyer Blinder Belle renovates mid-century modern landmark church in Washington, D.C.

2021-11-01T17:17:00-04:00

New York-based architecture practice Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB) is known for projects that focus on the "planning, restoration, and the design of new buildings." Their latest project for the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., focuses on expanding and renovating one of D.C.'s historic mid-century modern church sites.

Designed by American architect Harold E. Wagoner in 1967, BBB continued with its 2016 master plan for the Church by designing two additions that offer new meeting rooms and added public space for members. According to firm Partner Hany Hassan, FAIA: "Our work introduces a contemporary entry and new central staircase, expressive and open in design, to draw people through all three levels of the Church."

National Presbyterian Church Image © Alan Karchmer/Courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle

The new buil...

The Rubell Museum comes to Washington with its Gallery 64 mixed-use development effort

2021-09-27T13:41:00-04:00

One of America’s most influential private art museums is moving forward with an expansion into new territory thanks to a partnership with Beyer Blinder Belle.

Image courtesy Beyer Blinder Belle

Nearly two years after opening its new 100,000-square-foot Selldorf Architects-designed space in Miami, the former Rubell Family Collection is now looking to make an even bigger statement with a 12-story, 2.7-acre mixed-use development that its founders hope will create another cultural hub in the nation’s capital.

Image courtesy Beyer Blinder Belle

Situated in Southwest D.C., the new satellite location will feature a 492-unit residential development called Gallery 64 anchored by the campus of Randall Junior High School, a historic former public school that served the community from 1906 until its closure in the late 1970s.

Image courtesy Beyer Blinder Belle

Formerly under the stewardship of D.C.’s metropolitan government and later the Corcoran Gallery of Art (the building was acquired by the R...

The new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library opens in the heart of Midtown Manhattan

2021-06-04T12:55:00-04:00

A transformed Midtown Manhattan library building, long considered to be an eyesore, is finally open to the public after the Covid-19 pandemic and a $200 million renovation project left its doors shuttered for four years.

Renamed the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, what used to be the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan branch, the facility sits on a corner of Fifth Avenue opposite the library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in a former department store. According to the 126-year-old institution, the SASB sees a system-topping 1.7 million visitors a year.

Beyer Blinder Belle teamed with acclaimed library restorationist Francine Houben of the Dutch firm Mecanoo to completely overhaul all eight floors of the Bryant Park building thanks in part to a $55 million grant from the Niarchos Foundation.

Photo: John Bartelstone

The resulting 20,000 square feet of added space come in the form of expanded reading areas separated on three floors by a linea...

Washington Monument reopens after lengthy renovation

2019-09-20T14:02:00-04:00

The Washington Monument will again welcome visitors up to its observation deck, where, from more than 500 feet in the air, visitors can see national landmarks including the U.S. Capitol, Washington National Cathedral, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. But first, you have to go through security.

After undergoing a 3-year renovation, including elevator upgrades and adding a new glass-and-steel security screening center designed by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, the 555-foot-tall obelisk reopened to the public on Thursday, September 19th.

PHOTOS: The TWA Hotel at JFK is officially open!

2019-05-15T18:14:00-04:00

The much-anticipated rebirth of Eero Saarinen’s historic TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport is complete. The TWA Hotel officially opened on Wednesday, more than two years after the project broke ground in Queens and over 18 years since the iconic 1962 terminal shuttered. Developed by MCR and Morse Development, the two six-story crescent-shaped buildings contain 512 rooms, a rooftop infinity pool and observation deck, event space, food hall, luxury fitness center, and retro cocktail bar.

Photo courtesy of TWA Hotel/David Mitchell

TWA Hotel at Saarinen's iconic Flight Center to open in May

2019-02-08T18:14:00-05:00

It’s official: The TWA Hotel will start taking reservations on February 14, in anticipation of a soft opening on May 15. [...] The hotel’s opening will be the culmination of years of work to revive Eero Saarinen’s beloved midcentury landmark. The TWA Flight Center, a stunning example of Space Age architecture, closed in 2001, and has largely been hidden from public view since then, save for a few tours and events here and there.

The TWA Hotel at JFK Airport previously on Archinect.

Two historic NYC theaters in Times Square to be redeveloped

2018-09-20T14:59:00-04:00

Two historic New York City theaters are getting ready to shine brightly under the Times Square spotlight once again. This week, developers behind the Times Square Theater and the Palace Theater, unveiled ambitious renovation and expansion plans for their establishments.

The Palace Theater redevelopment includes raising the structure about 30 feet to accommodate retail space below and an 18,000 square foot wraparound sign. The existing DoubleTree hotel above the theater will be demolished to be replaced by a 46-story tower including retail, dining, and a hotel.

TSX Broadway rendering. Image: TSX Broadway.

The new complex, called TSX Broadway, also includes a 4,000-square-foot performance venue to be suspended 30 feet above Times Square. The new outdoor stage will be the only of its kind located in Times Square.

TSX Broadway retail section rendering. Image: TSX Broadway.

Nearby the Times Square Theater, which has been vacant for 30 years, will be redeveloped as a large retail venue. Architecture and planning firm Beyer Blinder Belle will restore most of the existing building while adding in two glass stories.

Times Square Theater redevelopment rendering. Image: Stillman Development International.

New additions also include a glass box overhang on th...

Herzog & de Meuron, Beyer Blinder Belle selected to transform Harvard GSD's Gund Hall

2018-07-26T14:04:00-04:00

Harvard GSD's iconic Gund Hall will undergo a significant transformation and expansion, the school announced this morning. Selected for the task are Herzog & de Meuron as design consultant and Beyer Blinder Belle (BBB) as architect of record.

Photo courtesy of Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Designed by Australian architect John Andrews (himself a GSD graduate), the brutalist Gund Hall has served as the school's primary campus building since 1972. With the expansion, the administration hopes to add new space for growth and more cross-disciplinary engagement with other academic fields and programs at Harvard, primarily with the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Photo courtesy of Harvard Graduate School of Design.

"The proposed new space will encourage new forms of cross-disciplinary collaboration by creating an anchored point of intersection among the School’s current studio workspace (known as 'the trays'), facult...

Frick Collection expansion clears NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission hurdle

2018-06-27T14:03:00-04:00

In a major victory for the Frick Collection, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday approved the museum’s latest plan to expand and renovate its 1914 Gilded Age mansion — the institution’s fourth such attempt to gain more space for its exhibitions and public programs. [...] Some critics were disappointed by Tuesday’s vote. Theodore Grunewald, a preservationist, called it “a vote for blandness.”

The approved proposal represented a revised version of the Frick Collection expansion scheme, taking into consideration concerns brought forward by the Stop Irresponsible Frick Development preservationist group at an impassioned four-hour public hearing in May.

The expansion plans were designed by Selldorf Architects with Executive Architect Beyer Blinder Belle.

Selldorf Architects' Frick Collection expansion design faces resistance

2018-05-31T14:27:00-04:00

At an impassioned four-hour public hearing [...] by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), around 50 members of the public, as well as Selldorf, the Frick’s director Ian Wardropper and members of the commission debated the proposed $160m Annabelle Selldorf Architects-designed expansion and renovation of the Frick Collection in New York. The LPC remains undecided on the project, which is due to break ground in 2020 [...].

"Many of the strongest criticisms throughout the hearing, particularly on this multi-storey library extension, came from local residents, although the neighbourhood speakers overall seemed split on the project," The Art Newspaper reports.

Take a closer look at the expansion scheme, designed by Selldorf Architects with Executive Architect Beyer Blinder Belle, which was unveiled by the Frick Collection last month.

The Frick Collection unveils Selldorf Architects' expansion scheme

2018-04-05T15:03:00-04:00

After a rough start, The Frick Collection unveiled their new expansion design by Selldorf Architects, who was appointed for the renovation job in 2016. Currently slated for a 2020 groundbreaking, the project is the Frick's first comprehensive upgrade to its buildings since they opened to the public in 1935.

Elevation of The Frick Collection showing current and proposed views from 70th Street; Courtesy Selldorf Architects

Designed with Executive Architect Beyer Blinder Belle, Selldorf Architects' scheme adds subtle expansions that address the Frick's programmatic needs, while largely preserving the museum's original aesthetic (watch closely in the GIF above) and its intimate visitor experience. The project comprises approximately 60,000 sq.ft. of repurposed space and 27,000 sq.ft. of new construction.

The Frick Collection Reception Hall looking east towards 70th Street Garden; Courtesy of Selldorf Architects

The Frick Collection Reception Hall; Courtesy Selldorf Architects.

A series of ...