Credit: Michael Moran/OTTO
On March 16, the tour exploref the history of Park Avenue South and showcasef a few contemporary works on the adjacent blocks, including the KPF-designed vertical campus.
The AIA’s New York City chapter led a tour along Park Avenue South, formerly known as Fourth Avenue, passing through neighborhoods including Murray Hill and Flatiron. The strip was once the insurance row of Manhattan but has since diversified to include commercial, residential, and institutional projects. Located one block east of Park Avenue, Baruch College’s William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus spans a full city block, rising 14 stories to house multiple departments. A tiered glass-enclosed atrium brings light into the public spaces of the building, as well as the subterranean levels. The project was recognized for its design excellence by the AIA National Chapter Honor Award for Architecture—the Institute’s highest honor. Completed in 2001, the firm’s work at Baruch College has influenced later vertical academic campuses such as NYU Shanghai, which utilizes a pinwheel arrangement of four buildings to layer programs and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration.
On the tour, the group learned about larger themes including zoning and Manhattan’s grid, façade organizing principals, and privately-owned public spaces.
The tour began at the Philip Morris building at 10:30 am on March 16. Learn more and register here.