Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HEARST TOWER
300 W 57th St at Eighth Ave. Subway A, B, C, D, #1 to 59th St-Columbus Circle.
MAP
The limestone base of the
Hearst Tower
waited for a skyscraper to top it since the Great
Depression. Finally completed in 2006, the glass-and-steel geometry of the Hearst Tower
sits ingeniously - and somewhat incongruously - inside the shell of that base. It's certified
as one of the most environmentally friendly high-rises ever constructed and was the first
skyscraper to begin construction post 9/11.
MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
2 Columbus Circle. Subway A, B, C, D, #1 to 59th St-Columbus Circle. 212 299 7777,
www.madmuseum.org
.
Tues-Sun 10am-6pm, Thurs & Fri 10am-9pm. $16, Thurs & Fri 6-9pm pay what you
wish.
MAP
The story of the building that arcs along the south side of Columbus Circle is as interesting
as the holdings of the
Museum of Arts and Design
that occupy it. Built in the 1960s to
house the Gallery of Modern Art, Two Columbus Circle was regarded as an architectural
folly (and a failure as a museum), yet after years of abandonment and disrepair, the building
became the subject of an epic battle over its significance and status. Noted architects like
Robert A.M. Stern fought for its preservation but eventually failed, and the Museum of Arts
and Design (the former American Crafts Museum) had the building totally redesigned. Gone
are the portholes and white marble; in their place, slots, ceramic and glass that seem to form
letter shapes on the facade. The eclectic collection inside features everything from blown-
glass objets d'art to contemporary jewellery; the temporary exhibits frequently take centre
stage.
TIME WARNER CENTER
10 Columbus Circle. Subway A, B, C, D, #1 to 59th St-Columbus Circle.
MAP
The glassy, curving
Time Warner Center
, a massive, $1.7 billion home for companies like
CNN and Warner Books, with a shopping complex on its lower levels (Mon-Sat
10am-9pm, Sun 11am-7pm), opened in 2004. The timing and design make it hard not to
think of it as a more modern, less-loved variation of the Twin Towers. Some of the city's
priciest restaurants (
Per Se
,
Masa
) dish it out here.
