The Harlem Hospital Pavilion is part of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s “By the People: Designing a Better America” exhibit in Manhattan.
Excerpted from Cooper Hewitt:
The United States represents one of the world’s largest economies, but a record 46.7 million Americans—many in working families—live below the federal poverty line. As income inequality widens, stagnating wages, rising housing costs, and limited public transport are diminishing social mobility as well. The third in a series of exhibitions dedicated to socially responsible design, “By the People” examines these complex and systemic challenges and invites visitors to explore 60 collaborative designs from across the United States that engage the public in efforts to revitalize their communities and improve opportunities. Collectively, these works illuminate how design can act as a catalyst for positive action.
Harlem Hospital Mural Pavilion—a new, 192,000-square-foot patient-centered hospital building designed by HOK architecture firm with Harlem-based architect Jack Travis—incorporates a strong cultural expression in its technologically advanced building design and establishes a strong community connection by celebrating a historically significant mural at a civic scale. The facade, a high-performance curtain wall, replicates 3 panels from a Works Progress Administration mural that depicts scenes from the African diaspora story. Other restored original WPA murals are visible from the street in the hospital’s new public gallery.