 Hearst Tower revives a dream from the 1920s, when William Randolph Hearst envisioned Columbus Circle as a vibrant media and entertainment quarter. Hearst commissioned a skyscraper on 8th Ave., but construction ended because of the Depression. The current Hearst Tower's distinctive faceted silhouette rises dramatically above the already-completed 1928 base of Joseph Urban's planned building, with a vast internal plaza occupying the entire shell of the historic base. Designed to consume significantly less energy than a conventional office building, the new 42-story tower provides almost one million square feet of office space. It rises above the old building, linked on the outside by a transparent skirt of glazing that floods the spaces below with natural light. 

Hearst Tower

Brandon Haw, from Foster and Partners, discusses the construction of the Hearst Tower.

<p>270 Park Avenue, designed by Foster + Partners and completed in 2025 for JPMorgan Chase, is a modern supertall tower defined by its diagrid structural exoskeleton, tapered form, and high‑performance façade. The building replaces the original SOM tower.</p>

270 Park Avenue

Norman Robert Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank, is a British architect whose company maintains an international design practice, Foster + Partners.

Norman Robert Foster

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