Herzog & de Meuron

Park Avenue Armory . New York

Herzog & de Meuron . + archdaily

Park Avenue Armory unveiled the designs by Herzog & de Meuron for the renovation, restoration, and transformation of one of the country’s most important landmarks into a new kind of cultural facility and institution.

The multi-year project reinvigorates the original design of the historic building, which includes the 55,000-square-foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall and an array of period rooms by some of the most innovative designers of the 19th century, while advancing the Armory’s mission dedicated to the creation and presentation of visual and performing art.

In conjunction with the announcement, Park Avenue Armory unveiled two restored period rooms, Company Rooms D and E, on the second floor that illustrate Herzog & de Meuron’s approach to the Armory renovation, encompassing restoration work as well as the addition of new lighting elements, furniture, and surface treatments that complement the building’s original detailing and that enable these spaces to support the Armory’s artistic program and mission.

"Park Avenue Armory is a richly layered building of outstanding historical significance that is transforming into a contemporary cultural center for New York City. We are treating the Armory like a living monument, preserving it for the future and above all reinventing it. Our method is not preservation in the traditional sense, where the original state of a building is reconstructed to simulate the historical original. Instead, we are revealing the physical traces the building has produced over time and developing highly specific responses to each space.”
Herzog & de Meuron 2011