Gluckman Tang develops master plan for Heritage State Park

North Adams, MA Gluckman Tang Architects has developed a master plan for Western Gateway Heritage State Park (Heritage Park). Heritage Park is a key component of the “Cultural Corridor,” a regional development initiative spearheaded by Thomas Krens, former director of the Guggenheim Foundation, that aims to transform the city and region into a world-class locus of contemporary art and architecture. 

“In addition to improving the experience for visitors to North Adams, our master plan will enhance the central role of the city in the Cultural Corridor and its anchor institutions, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) and The Clark Art Institute,” said Gluckman Tang principal Richard Gluckman.

Gluckman Tang’s plan for Heritage Park will strengthen strategic connections within the city of North Adams, provide site and infrastructure improvements, and also includes schematic designs for repurposing six historic structures as a museum and craft distillery complex.

The plan focuses on a former depot for the Troy and Greenfield Railroad. It proposes improvements to better connect the park with four points: Main St., Mass MoCA, the restored Hoosac riverfront, and the site of the Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum (EMRCAM) by Gehry Partners.

The plan reorganizes the site into three plazas. The South Plaza is expanded to help orient visitors arriving at Heritage Park and the EMRCAM. The Central Plaza comprises a grove of birch trees and outdoor seating. The North Plaza features an intimate amphitheater for performances and gatherings. The plazas are linked with a pedestrian path and a proposed extension to the Williamstown-Ashuwillticook Bike Trail.

Also included in the plan are schematic designs for adapting and expanding six industrial buildings for a variety of uses. These include:

• Adding 6,000 s/f to a 14,000 s/f 19th century warehouse to house the Gluckman Tang-designed Museum of Time. The addition comprises an irregular extrusion that extends the exhibition space and a glazed atrium/entry with a steep butterfly roof.
• Transforming a trio of 2,500 s/f former dry-goods storage buildings into a linked mixed-use facility housing retail, food and beverage services, and office space.
• Removing several floors of a 3,250 s/f coal hopper, opening up the interior to create a triple-height distilling hall with a mezzanine observation level, and adding a 4,000 s/f tasting hall and retail space.
• Converting a 3,500 s/f grain warehouse into a storage and events space. 

Consultants for Gluckman Tang’s Western Gateway Heritage State Park master plan include IPD Engineering (SMEP), VIP Structures (cost estimating), and Berkshire Engineering (civil engineering).

Gluckman Tang is a multi-faceted firm based in NYC, offering services in architecture, planning, and interior design. 

Over the course of 40 years, the firm has grown from a studio focused on art installations and galleries to an internationally-recognized practice with an emphasis on cultural and educational institutions. Among the historic structures that have benefited from the firm’s sensitive renovations are the Perelman Building at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Museo Picasso Málaga, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Downtown. In New York, the firm’s thoughtful approach is evident in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion for the Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian Design Museum, and the Staten Island Museum. Other recent and current projects include the Syracuse University College of Law, a major renovation of the Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University’s Korman Center, and four major museums in China.