Hearst building topped out

More than 100 elected officials, business leaders and construction workers joined Governor George E. Pataki, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and architect Lord Norman Foster on February 10 to top out the Hearst Corporation's 46-story glass and steel world headquarters tower, rising 597 feet from within

During the ceremony, Hearst Corporation President and CEO Victor Ganzi announced Hearst's intent to become the first commercial office building in New York City history to achieve a Gold rating from the United States Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification program.

The new headquarters, which is slated for completion in June 2006, will complete Hearst founder William Randolph Hearst's vision for a world-class tower at the site as well as the establishment of a thriving media, communications and cultural center in the Columbus Circle area. The original landmark structure was designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons in 1926 and built by W.R. Hearst in 1928.

Tishman Speyer Properties, as the development manager, is coordinating the planning, design, approval, permitting, and construction processes on behalf of The Hearst Corporation. Contributors to the Hearst project include: Foster and Partners — design architects, Adamson Associates — associate architects, the Cantor Seinuk Group — structural engineers, Flack and Kurtz — mechanical engineers, and Turner Construction — construction manager.