Best Use of Hotels in a Metaphor About a Publishing Company

The strangely compelling modern meets medieval Hearst Tower is a metaphor for the fortunes of the Hearst Corporation in the NY Times today. And buried towards the end of the article, there's a dig about how Hearst hasn't been very sexy:

While it is not exactly Xanadu, Hearst Tower is certainly a major upgrade for many of the company's rank and file. With its soaring entry and French Balzac limestone lobby floor, the building sets a Four Seasons tone for a magazine business that rivals have viewed as more of a Sheraton.

At least rivals aren't thinking of it as a Marriott. That would probably be a fun exercise - matching up hotel brands to publishers. And speaking of exercise, there's apparently a very fancy gym at the new Hearst Tower - complete with laundry service for employees' workout clothes. In other words, shape up, or you might have to ship out.

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By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment on June 5, 2006 5:39 PM

Comments [rss]

Getting pissed off

The mismatch is completely intentional, but people who have a little architectural sense in them do realize that.

Maybe people should start looking at the lifeless residential developments (or bunny cages!!) in which they are living before being so condemning about commercial buildings that are actually designed with an architectural purpose...

s

While the Hearst Building is exceedingly ugly, its two styles completely mismatched, the ugliest high profile building in New York is the Westin Hotel in Times Square. Someone please fly a 747 into that thing.

Not pissed off at the world

I disagree. The contrast between the extruded building and the old one is perfectly designed.

i.m. pissed

hands down the ugliest building in nyc today. what an abomination to a classic facade.

dw438

Hotels? Too bad. If it were written for some other outlet than the Times, could have used a few other Citizen Kane references too.

Sometimes a sled can just be a sled ....

Jen

During the 1980s, Hearst was one of my mom's clients, so she would go to the Hearst Mansion on 57th frequently...when I pointed out the new Sir Norman Foster addition, she was pretty amazed.

A good recent movie about William Hearst: The Cat's Meow, with Kirsten Dunst.