Hearst Marks 10th Anniversary of Hearst Tower Opening With Gallery of Architect Norman Foster and His Practice, Foster + Partners' Designs

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - November 16, 2016) - Hearst, one of the nation's largest diversified media, information and services companies touching more than 360 businesses, will debut a unique exhibit at its New York City headquarters tomorrow celebrating the 10^th anniversary of the opening of Hearst Tower with a collection of building design models by distinguished architect Norman Foster, and his practice Foster + Partners.

The gallery -- "Building with History: The Exhibit" -- marks the first time that these projects will be showcased in one display in the U.S. Foster, founder and chairman of Foster + Partners, designed Hearst's landmarked Tower at 57^th Street and 8^th Avenue, which opened on October 9, 2006.

Prior to the exhibit opening, Foster will speak as part of Hearst's Master Class series beginning at 5 p.m.

More than a quarter million people pass by Hearst Tower each week, and it has come to be considered one of New York City's most celebrated and iconic buildings. It was the first building commissioned in New York City after the September 11^th attacks, and upon its completion, the Tower served as a space to bring a portion of Hearst's many New York City-based brands and businesses into a common space.

"Ten years later, Hearst Tower remains a symbol not only of this great city, but everything that Hearst, its people and its businesses stand for," said Hearst President and CEO Steven R. Swartz. "Both forward-thinking and grounded in history, the Tower perfectly represents Hearst to our partners and the communities we serve."

When Hearst Tower opened a decade ago, it was New York City's first occupied building to achieve the coveted Gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Since earning that prestigious honor, the Tower also received LEED Platinum certification in 2012 for the operations and maintenance of its existing building. This year, Hearst Tower vied for and received its second existing building certification, making it one of the first structures to reach this milestone.

"More than almost anything else we've done, Norman Foster's Tower has become Hearst's signature," said Hearst Executive Vice Chairman and Former CEO Frank A. Bennack, Jr. "Our LEED Gold and Platinum headquarters is an internationally recognized symbol of bold, original thinking. It ushered in a new era of sustainable architecture-and continues to inspire associates at every level and in every line of business to reimagine what a media company can be."

"This exhibit brings back many memories about the inception of Hearst Tower," Foster said. "Walking into the building a decade later, you immediately note the flourishing sense of community, and it takes me back to the very earliest days of the project."

Hearst Tower's design features two rotating gallery exhibits in the 3^rd floor atrium, providing space for employees to appreciate art in the workplace. "Building with History" will span both galleries until April 15. The exhibit includes 28 scale presentation, section, site, study and master plan models, original sketches, floor plans, elevations and photographic timelines chronicling the projects of Norman Foster and Foster + Partners.

Over the past five decades, Foster + Partners has designed a number of contemporary additions to significant historic structures. These have sensitively extended the buildings, and broadened their potential uses, while improving readability and the capacity to attract enthusiastic new users. The exhibition, held within Hearst Tower -- an exemplar of the practice's approach to working within a historical context itself -- encapsulates the journey thus far, from the creation of the Sackler Galleries at London's Royal Academy of Arts in the early 90s, to the ongoing Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Today, Hearst Tower is home to over 2,000 Hearst employees across the company's varied businesses, and includes storied spaces like the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and the Good Housekeeping Dining Room.

This year marks the 88^th anniversary of the completion of the six-story base on which the 597-foot Tower stands. The original structure, called the International Magazine Building, was designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons in 1926, completed by Hearst founder William Randolph Hearst in 1928, and designated a New York City landmark in 1988.

Since the Tower opened, Hearst has experienced significant growth across its seven divisions, including the acquisition of an 80 percent stake in Fitch Ratings, forming Complex Networks jointly with Verizon Communications Inc., and launching several new magazines, including HGTV Magazine and Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE. In 2015, Hearst commemorated the 10^th anniversary of Hearst Tower "topping out" with a state-of-the-art camera drone tour. In addition to Hearst Tower, Foster + Partners' impressive line-up of international projects includes the Apple Campus in Cupertino, Calif., and new German Parliament in the Reichstag in Berlin.

Recently, Hearst Tower itself underwent an update with Hearst's unveiling of HearstLive, a new multimedia LED installation at street level. HearstLive showcases continuously updated news, entertainment and information from Hearst's 360+ businesses and partners on 57^th Street and 8^th Avenue each day. Additionally, at the corner of the installation, the BrandCentral@HearstLive feature allows visitors to experience Hearst brands and partners via social media. See today's content on your mobile device at HearstLive.com.

About Hearst

Hearst is one of the nation's largest diversified media, information and services companies with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; majority ownership of global ratings agency Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; 30 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, Calif., which reach a combined 19 percent of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Albany Times Union, nearly 300 magazines around the world including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Car and Driver; digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital and video companies such as BuzzFeed, Vice, Complex Networks and AwesomenessTV. Follow us on Twitter @HearstLive and @Hearst, and subscribe to Hearstlink.

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