Book excerpt: "Theater of Architecture is a breathtaking tour through Hugh Hardy's work, but also an education in architecture. The places he creates are places you want to feel and be in." Adele Chatfield-Taylor, American Academy in Rome In his fifty-year career as an architect, Hugh Hardy has built and reshaped America's cultural landscape through work for some of its most beloved institutions. Theater of Architecture gathers twenty projects from within New York City and beyond—from the magnificent restored Radio City Music Hall and the revived New Victory and New Amsterdam theaters near Times Square to state-of-the-art facilities such as the Botanical Research Institute of Texas in Fort Worth. Hardy discusses in detail each project's development and the challenges, strategies, and human concerns that influenced its design. Critic Mildred Friedman provides further insight in conversations with many of Hardy's clients and collaborators. Hardy's work has been consistently recognized by civic, architectural, and preservation organizations for its progressive spirit and sensitivity to context. Theater of Architecture is an illuminating study of the creation of memorable architecture.