Projects by Name

In 1966, Thomas P. F. Hoving, the New York City parks commissioner invited a team of architects to develop a sports park on the site of the former World’s Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park, Queens. The landscape architects Lawrence Halprin & Associates developed the master plan and program for the project in consultation with the architects Kenzo Tange & Urtec and Breuer and his associate Herbert Beckhard. Each member of the team was responsible for a portion of the overall plan. Halprin’s firm designed the central landscaped mall. Kenzo Tange & Urtec developed the North Complex, which included theaters, workshops, and a library among other functions. Breuer and Beckhard designed parallel “spines” that framed the central mall and contained shops, restaurants and changing rooms. Roof terraces and pergolas extended the length of the spine buildings that connected Tange’s North Complex and the staggered sports venues Breuer designed for the South Complex. One of the nearly square buildings housed a basketball arena and track, while the other featured indoor and outdoor pools. A folded concrete frame ran the length of each venue creating a unique profile and providing the structural support for the precast concrete roof that was suspended by cables from the frame. In the end, the city was unable to build the Sports Complex despite considerable effort by the firms involved.