Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Developers of the forthcoming Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed skyscraper at 175 Park Avenue just announced a new public cultural program amenity as part of the project. The cultural program will include public art installations, community events, and programming in partnership with New York City-based Public Art Fund and Lord Cultural Resources. 

TF Cornerstone and RXR Realty are partners in the massive (1,646 feet) Skidmore Owings & Merrill-designed Grand Hyatt New York skyscraper redevelopment, just east of Grand Central on 42nd Street. 

The majority of the programs will occur on 175 Park Avenue’s elevated 25,000 square feet of terraces, designed by James Corner Field Operation, also designers of the High Line and the recently opened Gansevoort Peninsula. 

 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

 Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Nicholas Baume, Director and Chief Curator at Public Art Fund, commented, “The most significant public spaces of New York City are defined by more than location and utility; they express who we are through a dialogue with great art and culture.” He added, “The public art program for 175 Park Avenue represents a powerful opportunity for some of the most exciting artists in the world to create new, site-specific works of art for this transformational public site. Impactful and accessible art that engages communities and enhances public space is essential to the fabric of our city. In developing the public art program for 175 Park Avenue, we look forward to commissioning works that respond to this unique context, offer extraordinary new opportunities for artists, and speak to the local community—all while inspiring New Yorkers and visitors alike.”

With an expected open date of 2030, the city should look very different by then. And, Joe McMillan, director of planning and senior vice president of TF Cornerstone, is very bullish on NYC’s resurgence post-COVID, most specifically Midtown’s revitalization. He told New York Business Journal, “I think Hudson Yards will play out, and downtown, the World Trade Center will eventually fill up, but who knows, by the time this building opens, those leases may be up and those companies may want to come back [to Midtown]. There's no question companies will prefer our location to those locations."