Welcome to the Archives of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. The purpose of this online collection is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Rudolph’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.
Some of the materials are in the public domain, some are offered under Creative Commons, and some are owned by others, including the Paul Rudolph Estate. Please speak with a representative of The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture before using any drawings or photos in the Archives. In all cases, the researcher shall determine how to appropriately publish or otherwise distribute the materials found in this collection, while maintaining appropriate protection of the applicable intellectual property rights.
In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (including drawings, plans, renderings, blueprints, models and other materials prepared in connection with his professional practice of architecture) to the Library of Congress Trust Fund following his death in 1997. A Stipulation of Settlement, signed on June 6, 2001 between the Paul Rudolph Estate and the Library of Congress Trust Fund, resulted in the transfer of those items to the Library of Congress among the Architectural Archives, that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. The intellectual property rights of items transferred to the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The usage of the Paul M. Rudolph Archive at the Library of Congress and any intellectual property rights are governed by the Library of Congress Rights and Permissions.
However, the Library of Congress has not received the entirety of the Paul Rudolph architectural works, and therefore ownership and intellectual property rights of any materials that were not selected by the Library of Congress may not be in the public domain and may belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate.
LOCATION
Address: 314 10th Avenue
City: New York
State: New York
Zip Code: 10001
Nation: United States
STATUS
Type: Housing
Status: Project
TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1974
Site Area:
Floor Area:
Height:
Floors (Above Ground):
Building Cost: $38 million USD (1974 estimate)
PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: New York State Urban Development Corporation
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:
SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
Subcontractor(s):
Morgan Annex Housing Study
The site, owned by the U.S. Post Office, is located directly south of the Morgan Station Post Office and encompasses an entire block from 9th to 10th Avenue and 28th to 29th Street.
On July 26, 1962 the federal government announces the site will be the location of a large project. At the time, 215 families live on the block, in apartments and single‐family brownstones. There are also several small businesses and the Chelsea Recreation Center, which has a swimming pool.
The Federal Government spends $3.4 million to acquire the block and $800,000 to relocate the tenants and tear down the buildings.
$2.6 million is spent on the design and two environmental‐impact studies for a new garage and bulk-mail-processing center on the site to be known as the Morgan Street Annex, to serve the adjacent Morgan Station.
In 1967 a fire destroys the Morgan Station. Bulk mail-processing in place and planned for Morgan Station is moved to newly constructed facilities in New Jersey, and plans for the Morgan Annex are revised.
In 1974, a six‐story, one-block-long garage, estimated to cost $38 million to build, is designed to garage and service 800 trucks and trailers situated in various parts of Manhattan. The new design calls for a postal garage with city‐financed apartments on top.
Local planning board, No. 4, reluctantly approves the proposal because of the desperately needed housing it provides.
The city announces it can not afford to build the project, and plans are revised again, eliminating the housing. The prospect of a garage alone causes the planning board to withdraw its approval, and begins a wave of opposition to the project throughout Chelsea.
The site remains an empty block after the Chelsea Neighborhood Association sues on January 5, 1975 in Federal District Court for an injunction against the garage. Federal Judge Robert J. Ward issues a preliminary injunction against the garage on February 25, 1975, which is later unanimously sustained by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on April 30, 1975.
In 1992, a new building known as the Morgan Facility Annex is constructed on the site. It is a three-story concrete, brick and glass building that is connected to the Morgan North Post Office via a bridge across 29th Street.
DRAWINGS - Design Drawings / Renderings
DRAWINGS - Construction Drawings
DRAWINGS - Shop Drawings
PHOTOS - Project Model
PHOTOS - During Construction
PHOTOS - Completed Project
PHOTOS - Current Conditions
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION
RELATED DOWNLOADS
PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
“Chronological List of Works by Paul Rudolph, 1946-1974.” Architecture and Urbanism, no. 49, Jan. 1975.