IBM 590 Corporate Exhibit Center Proposal

In 1977, the Eames Office proposed a plan for an exhibition space in the IBM Corporation’s new regional headquarters in New York City, on Madison Avenue. The 15,000 square-foot space was divided into three separate sections. The ground and lower floors of the new building included a gallery space with the overall goal of creating a “gathering point and reflector for the company’s best thinking.” In addition to IBM’s employees, the public would also have access to the exhibition space, serving as a place for all to learn about computers, information access, and the newest of technologies. The plan for this information and exhibition center was the last in a series of Eames Office proposals advocating for geographical hubs for dispersing information. The proposal was not realized, but its elements survive in a 1979 Eames Office film, “A Report on the IBM Exhibition Center.”