Tagging along on a business trip to Paris with his father, the art dealer Arne Glimcher, in the 1970s, Marc Glimcher was struck by the rough-hewed warmth of the wood-block flooring in André Chenue’s art storage warehouse. Now, as the 55-year-old president and chief executive of Pace Gallery, the younger Mr. Glimcher has been able to bring that memory to life in Pace’s new home in Chelsea, which opens next month.

The eight-story building, on West 25th Street and designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, is heavy with symbolism, not only because of what it says about Mr. Glimcher’s taking the reins from his father — who founded the gallery 59 years ago — but also because of what it telegraphs about the art market.

At a time when small and midsize galleries are struggling, closing or merging because of a decline in foot traffic and the rise of costly art fairs, New York’s four mega-galleries are doing the opposite: doubling down on major building projects in Chelsea.

In designing such new homes, these heavy hitters — Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner and Pace, which is consolidating its spaces on the Upper East Side and West 25th Street — are redefining what it means to be a gallery, shifting their emphasis from selling and showing art to a more full-service visitor experience that offers food, performance spaces, research libraries and open storage.