Even by its own, heightened standards, the Big Apple had a whirlwind of a year. Hudson Yards, the largest private real-estate development in American history, opened to mixed reviews, and who can blame them? Heatherwick Studio’s Vessel, with its seemingly endless stairways, is nonetheless dwarved by luxury residential towers, a mammoth designer shopping mall, complete with chain stores and signature dining experiences, and the first Equinox hotel. The audacious offering could equally be seen as a brazen attempt to tick as many commercial boxes as possible.
Yet, the development’s arrival has also brought with it some much-needed infrastructure. Previously only accessible on foot, or by bus or car, the area is now connected by the newly extended 7 subway line, thus connecting it to other major hubs in the city like Bryant Park, Times Square and Grand Central Station.
Another redeeming point is Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group's The Shed, a now-iconic building featuring a telescoping outer shell that houses a non-profit contemporary arts centre – the city’s first new institution in decades. Armed with a democratic approach to the arts, aimed at bringing together both high and low, and paired with civic initiatives to make its programme available to New Yorkers of all backgrounds, The Shed’s architecture and aspirations couldn’t be more of the moment.
There was no shortage of cultural highlights in New York in 2019. In addition to the opening of the new Hunter’s Point Library, a triumph in civic architecture by Steven Holl, there was also the much-anticipated re-opening of MoMA, following a $450m overhaul by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler. Rising past its controversial beginnings, the renovation has enabled the museum to make use of more of its permanent collection than ever, and most notably, to display fine art and design alongside each other. Equipped with a new creativity lab, state-of-the-art studio, a new flagship MoMA design store and a sixth floor café and terrace, the museum’s new home is built for the years to come.
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In Chelsea, Pace Gallery inaugurated a new 8-storey flagship gallery, purposefully designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture that holds its own amongst the mushrooming of residential developments, office buildings and galleries in the tightly-packed neighbourhood. On the Upper East Side, the renovation of Sotheby‘s HQ, by OMA also proved a boon for the art market and public alike, with several blue-chip artworks displayed and accessible for public viewing for the first time.
New York has long been a hotbed of innovation on all fronts, and 2019 aptly saw many concepts come to life. Complementing Frieze and TEFAF, the new Object & Thing design fair, by Abby Bangser and Rafael de Cárdenas added a more curated dimension to the city‘s art week. Meanwhile, at museum level, the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial tackled the challenges of climate change with an ambitious selection of both speculative and practical projects that presented new materials, methods and technologies, all united under the banner of sustainability.
In the world of design stores and showrooms, The Future Perfect’s Casa Perfect New York spun the idea of a shopping space on its head with its unique offerings put on display in a well-heeled, Tribeca townhouse space. Also memorable was the e-commerce platform 1stdibs’ jump from the digital space into the real world, with a sprawling showroom that brought fresh energy to an already vibrant design scene.
Finally, what would New York be without its diverse offering of hotels, restaurants and bars? This year’s newcomers ranged from Ace Hotel Group‘s pared-back micro-hotel spin-off, Sister City, to the grand modernist TWA Hotel (adapted from Eero Saarinen‘s TWA Flight Center at JFK Airport), and the aforementioned Equinox hotel, by Rockwell Group and Joyce Wang. The boom is set to continue through 2020 with the city‘s first Aman and Six Senses hotels.
INFORMATION
Explore more of our Wallpaper* Design Awards 2020 here
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Inside the Melbourne exhibition which puts fashion renegades Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood in conversation‘Westwood Kawakubo’ at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne draws on the designers’ shared ‘spirit of rebellion’, curators Katie Somerville and Danielle Whitfield tell Wallpaper*
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Remembering Martin Parr, astute documenter of the human conditionMartin Parr, a giant of photography, has died aged 73
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Wallpaper* gift guides: architecture expert Ellie Stathaki would like…Architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki talks us through her shopping wish list for festive gift inspiration, and beyond
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Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
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The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
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The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
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Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
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Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
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This ethereal Miami residence sprouted out of a wild, jungle-like gardenA Miami couple tapped local firm Brillhart Architecture to design them a house that merged Florida vernacular, Paul Rudolph and 'too many plants to count’
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Tour Cano House, a Los Angeles home like no other, full of colour and quirkCano House is a case study for tranquil city living, cantilevering cleverly over a steep site in LA’s Mount Washington and fusing California modernism with contemporary flair
