Paul Rudolph’s Sanderling Beach Club Cabanas destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene

Paul Rudolph’s Sanderling Beach Club Cabanas destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene

The Architectural Record
Matt Hickman - September 27, 2024

The complex was destroyed on September 26.

The New York–based Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture has shared news that the Rudolph–designed cabanas at the Sanderling Beach Club in Sarasota, Florida, have been destroyed by Hurricane Helene. While details are still emerging, the Institute said that it was contacted this morning by local architect Max Strang, who shared photos of the ruined beachfront structures on his Instagram Stories. The cabanas, known for their low vaulted ceilings and sheathed plywood construction, were designed by Rudolph in 1952. In 1994, the club, located on Sarasota’s Siesta Key, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. (More information about the site can be found here.)

It is unclear* if any other Rudolph buildings located in and around Sarasota on Florida’s Gulf Coast—and there are many, including his addition at the city’s public high school and numerous private homes, including the Umbrella House, Revere Quality House, and the Healy Guest House, all of which RECORD visited in 2023—were impacted by Helene, which made landfall in Florida as a category 4 storm late yesterday.

Rudolph, who moved to Sarasota after studying with Walter Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, was perhaps the most prominent member of the Sarasota School of Architecture, a post-war regional architectural style also known as Sarasota Modern that flourished on Florida’s central west coast from the early 1940s through the mid-60s. Other architects associated with the movement include Ralph Twitchell, Victor Lundy, Tim Seibert, and Carl Abbott.

Coincidentally, a new exhibition titled Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph opens September 30 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

RECORD has reached out to Architecture Sarasota, a non-profit education and advocacy organization that celebrates and promotes the city’s rich design heritage through various programming initiatives including exhibitions, tours, and a signature awards program, to comment on the destruction of the Sanderling Beach Club cabanas and to confirm if any other significant Modernist buildings in the area suffered damage. We will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.

*Update: Morris “Marty” Hylton III, president of Architecture Sarasota, has confirmed with RECORD that at least two other Rudolph properties, the Revere Quality House and the Healy Guest House, also known as the Cocoon House, experienced flooding due to storm surge brought on by Hurricane Helene. He relays that the organization will assess the damages and consider next steps.

Update 2: Architecture Sarasota has issued an official statement confirming the loss of the Sanderling Beach cabanas and damage to “many of our Sarasota School and other local landmarks.”

“As assessments of the damage caused by Hurricane Helene continue, I am saddened that has meant so much to be for decades, and that I now call home, has been so significantly impacted,” writes Hylton, pledging to support local recovery efforts and keep the public informed with continual updates. “This moment only strengthens my resolve for Architecture Sarasota to serve as a resource and partner in addressing the challenges our community faces.”

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The MET to Showcase Built and Unbuilt Visions of 20th century Architect Paul Rudolph

the MET to showcase built and unbuilt visions of 20th century architect paul rudolph

Designboom
Kat Barandy- September 01, 2024

Paul Rudolph (American, 1918-1997), Rolling Dining Chair, Designed 1968, Lucite, chromium plated tubular steel, 30 h × 28 1/4 w × 24 d in (76 × 72 × 61 cm), Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. Photograph by Eileen Travell

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will host its first-ever major museum exhibition dedicated to the work of Paul Rudolph, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. This exhibition will highlight Rudolph’s contributions to modern architecture and his enduring influence on the field. Spanning his early work in the 1950s to his later projects in the 1970s, the show will provide a comprehensive look at his architectural vision and legacy. Titled Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, the exhibition will be on view from September 30th, 2024 until March 16th, 2025.

Paul Rudolph emerged as a leading figure in the second wave of modernist architects during the 1950s and 1960s. Known for his bold, expressive use of space and materials, Rudolph’s work often incorporated complex, interlocking volumes and textures that set him apart from his contemporaries. This exhibition aims to shed light on the diverse range of his architectural practice, featuring over eighty artifacts, including architectural drawings, models, furniture, material samples, and photographs.

Paul Rudolph’s Unbuilt Concepts

One of the key highlights of the Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s exhibition, Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, will be the display of Rudolph’s designs for the Lower Manhattan Expressway / City Corridor project. The ambitious unbuilt urban plan, conceptualized between 1967 and 1972 to address traffic congestion in New York City, was designed as a massive elevated roadway. Rudolph’s radical approach integrated residential, commercial, and public spaces into the expressway’s design, reflecting his belief in architecture’s potential to shape and improve urban living conditions. The exhibition will showcase detailed drawings and models from this project, offering visitors insight into his innovative and futuristic urban planning ideas.

brutalism Embodied

 Another significant feature of the exhibition is Rudolph’s celebrated Art and Architecture Building at Yale University, completed in 1958. This structure is considered a masterpiece of Brutalist architecture, characterized by its rugged concrete facade and intricate interior spaces. The building’s design highlights Rudolph’s skillful use of concrete and his ability to create dynamic, interconnected spaces that engage the viewer. Drawings and photographs of this iconic building will be on display, illustrating Rudolph’s architectural philosophy and his contribution to the Brutalist movement.

Rudolph’s design for the Tuskegee Institute Chapel in Tuskegee, Alabama, now known as the Tuskegee University Chapel, will also be featured in the exhibition. Designed in 1960, this chapel demonstrates Rudolph’s ability to blend modernist principles with the cultural and historical context of its surroundings. The chapel’s soaring arches and light-filled interior reflect his innovative use of space and materials to create a place of serenity and reflection. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to view architectural drawings and photographs that capture the essence of this iconic structure.

early works

The exhibition will also include materials related to one of Rudolph’s earliest and most famous projects, the Walker Guest House on Sanibel Island, Florida, built in 1952. This small, single-story structure exemplifies Rudolph’s early experimentation with modular design and prefabrication. Its simplicity and functional elegance laid the groundwork for his later, more complex works. Models and photographs of the Walker Guest House will be on display, highlighting Rudolph’s innovative approach to residential design.

Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph offers a rare opportunity to explore the breadth of Rudolph’s architectural career. By showcasing a wide range of artifacts from his office, including personal items and work-related materials, the exhibition provides a holistic view of his creative process and the diverse influences that shaped his work. This comprehensive exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will celebrate Rudolph’s contributions to modern architecture and offer new perspectives on his lasting impact on the built environment.

project info:

exhibition title: Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph

museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | @metmuseum

on view: September 30th, 2024 — March 16th, 2025

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The Met to Present the First Major Exhibition Dedicated to Influential Modernist Architect Paul Rudolph

The Met to Present the First Major Exhibition Dedicated to Influential Modernist Architect Paul Rudolph

The City Life
Staff - August 27, 2024

Paul Rudolph (American, 1918-1997), Perspective section drawing of the Art and Architecture Building, Yale University, New Haven, 1958. Pen and ink, graphite, and plastic film with halftone pattern, on illustration board. 36 7/8 x 53 5/8 x 2 in. (93.6 x 136.2 x 5.1 cm) School of Architecture, Yale University, Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library.

Exhibition Dates: September 30, 2024–March 16, 2025
Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, The Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman Gallery, Lila Acheson Wallace Wing, Floor 1 

From Halston’s spectacular town house to Yale’s iconic Art and Architecture Building, unrealized utopian megastructures to immersive interiors, the exhibition will survey the fascinatingly diverse career of one of the most significant, yet underrecognized architects of the 20th century.

The show will be the first major exhibition of 20th-century architecture at The Met in over 50 years

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present the first-ever major museum exhibition to examine the career of the influential 20th-century architect Paul Rudolph, a second-generation Modernist who came to prominence during the 1950s and 1960s alongside peers such as Eero Saarinen and I.M. Pei. Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, on view from September 30, 2024, through March 16, 2025, will showcase the full breadth of Rudolph’s important contributions to architecture—from his early experimental houses in Florida to his civic commissions rendered in concrete, and from his utopian visions for urban megastructures and mixed-use sky¬scrapers to his extraordinary immersive New York interiors. The exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to experience the evolution and diversity of Rudolph’s legacy and better understand how his work continues to inspire ideas for urban renewal and redevelopment in cities across the world. The presentation will feature a diverse range of over 80 works in a variety of scales, from small objects that he collected throughout his life to a mix of material generated from his office, including drawings, models, furniture, material samples, and photographs. 

The exhibition is made possible by The Modern Circle.

Additional support is provided by The Daniel and Estrellita Brodsky Foundation, Ann M. Spruill and Daniel H. Cantwell, and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Library of Congress’s Paul Marvin Rudolph Archive.

“Paul Rudolph was a pioneer and an iconic figure among the architectural community, and this long-overdue presentation analyzes the immense impact that his trailblazing work continues to have on contemporary architects and the development of our urban spaces,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Materialized Space not only underscores the radical thinking that Rudolph imparted to the Modernist era, but also invites viewers into the complex artistic process of architectural development, illuminating the ways in which the spaces we occupy come to life.”

“The refusal to be categorized makes Paul Rudolph a challenging architect to summarize, but this same quality also makes him a fascinating topic for research, driving new audiences to discover, or rediscover, his work every day,” said Abraham Thomas, The Met’s Daniel Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts. “Rudolph’s intricate, visionary drawings and dramatic completed buildings represent a singular voice within the crowded, variable terrain of architectural late Modernism—one that will continue to prove both spellbinding and confounding for many years to come.”

Materialized Space will be divided into thematic sections that follow the many stages of Rudolph’s architectural practice, highlighting his work in housing, civic projects, megastructures, interiors, and his commissions in Asia. Through a careful selection of projects, the exhibition will show how Rudolph’s work engaged with key moments of cultural, economic, and political significance during the 20th century, including post-war construction and expansion, urban renewal and housing policies in the 1960s, and the economic boom in Asia in the 1980s. 

The exhibition will explore many of Rudolph’s well-known New York projects—most notably Robert Moses’s unrealized Lower Manhattan Expressway scheme, a controversial proposal to link New Jersey to Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island via the Holland Tunnel and the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. Designed to leave the city’s infrastructure intact, Rudolph’s proposed Y-shaped corridor introduced a new approach to city building in which transportation networks would bind communities rather than dividing them. Ultimately, this project was never realized due to strong opposition citing that the project would destroy a vibrant urban neighborhood and displace communities. 

Materialized Space will also examine why Brutalism—a 1950s post-war era architectural style that prioritized structural elements over decorative deisgn—and architectural projects in concrete during the 1960s and ’70s continue to be extremely divisive and controversial. These ideas reflect on a form of architecture that once represented 20th-century utopia and that is now synonymous with many of the social issues surrounding the projects of late Modernism. Rudolph’s regular use of concrete and Brutalist methodology was a factor in his own fall from public favor during the 1970s, perhaps offering insight into why so many of his projects have been demolished during the past decade and lost forever.

The exhibition will also highlight the primacy of drawing as a practice within architecture and, in the case of Rudolph, an opportunity to showcase the stunning renderings and perspective drawings that he became famous for. Although technology has given rise to new tools for creating architectural schematics and plans, these handmade drawings set the precedent for creative development and remain key teaching tools in architectural schools today. 

Just before his death in 1997, Rudolph bequeathed to the Library of Congress his architectural archive of more than 100,000 items, encompassing drawings, models, photographs, and printed ephemera. Materialized Space will feature extensive loans from the Library of Congress, including several objects that have never been on view before and in some cases have never been photographed. Additional loans, from the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, include important examples of furniture and other objects from the architect’s estate – in addition to other key institutional and private lenders.

Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph is organized by Abraham Thomas, the Daniel Brodsky Curator, Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts in The Met’s Department of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The exhibition is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Library of Congress’s Paul Marvin Rudolph Archive.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.

The catalogue is made possible by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc.

The Met will host a variety of educational opportunities in conjunction with the exhibition, including in-gallery conversations, panels, demonstrations, and hands-on activities inspired by Rudolph’s legacy. Programming and activities are available for all ages. 

Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph will be featured on The Met’s website, as well as on social media.

Read the original article here.

‘Drawing’ some surprising architectural conclusions

‘Drawing’ some surprising architectural conclusions

Boston Globe
Mark Feeney - May 02, 2024

Paul Rudolph (1918–1997), Callahan House, Perspective, 1965–1986, Birmingham, Alabama, graphite and colored pencil on paper. MIT Museum 2018.011.063. Gift of Danielle and Martin E. Zimmerman '59. © The Estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

CAMBRIDGE — “Drawing After Modernism,” which runs at the MIT Museum through Oct. 27, is about a particular kind of drawing and a particular period of after. The museum’s Jonathan Duval curated the show.

The drawings are architectural sketches, and they range from drawings (in pencil, ink, graphite, or gouache) to an acrylic painting (Zaha Hadid), lithographs (Helmut Jahn and Frank Gehry), and even a model (John Hejduk). A model can be considered a sketch in three dimensions, no?

The eminence of those names gives a sense of how much this small but arresting show has to offer. There are some 50 items on display, not just artworks but also colored pencils, an airbrush, and exhibition cards for a 1977 exhibition at New York’s Leo Castelli gallery. The MIT show is pretty much an ideal size: small enough for a visitor to comfortably take everything in, big enough to be varied and wide-ranging.

The period in question is from the late ‘70s to late ‘80s, with a few outliers. Those outliers — Louis Kahn (1959), Paul Rudolph (1965), and Gehry (2004) — are further evidence of eminence. Other architects with works in the show include Peter Eisenman, with eight; Stanley Tigerman, with seven; Michael Graves and Jahn, with four each. Jahn took pride in having done more than 100,000 architectural sketches over the course of his career.

One of the Graves drawings is of the Humana Building, in Louisville, Ky. This was one of the signature designs in the emergence of Postmodernism. The reason “Drawing” focuses on the span it does is that it effectively marked the end of Modernism as culturally dominant — not just in architecture — and the arrival of Postmodernism. That’s where the “after” in “Drawing After Modernism” comes in.

The title is a bit of a cheat, albeit in a good way. Rudolph and Kahn aren’t just chronological outliers here, but also stylistic. One can quibble, or even quarrel, over where Late Modernism spills over into Postmodernism. But Rudolph and Kahn remain firmly on the pre-Postmodern side.

Not that there are any complaints about their presence in the show. Rudolph’s exactingly detailed perspective for his Callahan House, in Birmingham, Ala., and Kahn’s sketch for what would become his revered Salk Institute, in La Jolla, Calif., are among the most beautiful drawings in the show. Right up there are Arata Isozaki’s sketch for the Museum of Contemporary Art, in Los Angeles, and two Graves sketches for the San Juan Capistrano, Calif., public library. Both Graveses and the Isozaki were done in graphite and colored pencil and come from 1981.

This period has further significance in that it saw architectural drawings attain a new status. The MIT Museum began collecting them in the mid-’70s. That Castelli show marked the arrival of architectural drawings as a collectible by the art public. In 1978, Max Protetch founded his namesake New York gallery to exhibit architectural drawings. The inaugural Venice Biennale of Architecture took place in 1980.

Coincidence or no, affinities with the visual arts appear throughout the show. It’s more than just that Hadid acrylic. Rem Koolhaas’s gouache and ink on paper for the Villa dall’Ava, outside of Paris, has Edward Hopper lighting. Aldo Rossi’s none-too-serious proposal for a Venetian theater salutes Claes Oldenburg, with its giant Coca-Cola can, tin of Twinings tea, and pack of cigarettes (brand indiscernible). Saul Steinberg would have felt right at home sitting at Tigerman’s drawing table when the architect was coming up with designs for his playful “Architoons” series.

In a different category is James Wines’s never-executed “Highrise of Homes,” a 1981 ink and wash on paper for the firm SITE. It could be a prototype for the piled-up houses in Steven Spielberg’s 2018 film, “Ready Player One.”

The clearest indicator of the collectible status that architectural drawings attained is the Gehry lithograph. Visually, it’s an inky scribble of great verve. But the architect never intended its shake-and-bake lines to be translated into three dimensions. He drew them to be sold as a limited-edition print. So, yes, you can own a Frank Gehry, even if you can’t afford to live in one.

The lithograph’s scribble-ness gets at a third transformation in the profession, one posterior to the period covered in the show. By the turn of this century, computer-aided design had become common in architecture. This opened all kinds of new possibilities. Consider MIT’s Stata Center, a Gehry design, that’s a five-minute walk from the museum. It opened in 2004, the same year Gehry did the lithograph. What had for millennia seemed fanciful now became not just possible but executable. Even if not meant as a building design, per se, that scribble was more than just a doodle. Or could have been.

DRAWING AFTER MODERNISM

At MIT Museum, 314 Main St., Cambridge, through Oct. 27. 617-253-5927, mitmuseum.mit.edu

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A New Exhibition at the MIT Museum Offers Nostalgia for Bygone Architectural Representation

A New Exhibition at the MIT Museum Offers Nostalgia for Bygone Architectural Representation

Architectural Record
Josephine Minutillo - April 30, 2024

Paul Rudolph (1918–1997), Callahan House, Perspective, 1965–1986, Birmingham, Alabama, graphite and colored pencil on paper. MIT Museum 2018.011.063. Gift of Danielle and Martin E. Zimmerman '59. © The Estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

Remember when architects made drawings? A new exhibition at the MIT Museum brings us back to a time when those works were considered a hot commodity. Tucked away in a small, upper-floor gallery, Drawing After Modernism is the first exhibition dedicated to architecture in the decades-old Cambridge, Massachusetts institution’s new space.

There are small, colorful drawings of the Teatro Veneziano—both from 1981 and unmistakably Aldo Rossi. There’s a larger line drawing by Paul Rudolph—a different set of initials next to his signature indicates he probably didn’t put all those lines down alone. A sketch for a store along Chicago’s Michigan Avenue by Robert A.M. Stern is more interesting for the dedication he wrote on it to Stanley Tigerman in 2000. Very eye-catching are the slick, airbrushed ink creations by Bernard Tschumi of his Parc de la Villette (1985). An obligatory Frank Gehry and a slew of Michael Graves are also on view.

“There was a latent anxiety about CAD in the 1980s,” says Jonathan Duval, assistant curator of architecture and design at the museum. “The architect as artist emerged as a way to emphasize, ‘I cannot be replaced.’” The works on display—whether in ink, graphite, colored pencil, or charcoal—are the kinds that commercial galleries, museums, and private collectors began buying in the 1980s at places such as Max Protetch in New York and Rhona Hoffman Gallery in Chicago. It became such a fad then that architects like Helmut Jahn began making lithographs in large series for sale—several of those are included in the show.

In total, the 41 objects, which also comprise an acrylic painting by Zaha Hadid, a collage by Rem Koolhaas, and a cardboard model by John Hejduk, all come from the collection of Martin E. (an MIT alum) and Danielle Zimmerman, which the couple gifted to the museum in 2017. Hailing from Chicago, the Zimmermans’s collection features many of the city’s luminaries including Jahn, Tigerman, Thomas Beeby, and Laurence Booth.

Visit the exhibition for a nostalgic trip back to another era, then wander around the rest of the museum for a decidedly different look at the present—where scientific breakthroughs, AI, and other ongoing innovations take center stage.

Drawing After Modernism is on view at the MIT Museum until October 27, 2024.

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Still standing: Boston Government Service Center, 1971

Still standing: Boston Government Service Center, 1971

Architecture Today
Ian Volner - April 18, 2024

Photograph: The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture.

The Reverend Doctor Keener Rudolph rode the Methodist preaching circuit in the southern United States for nearly 50 years, beginning just after the turn of the twentieth century and continuing through his marriage and the birth of his children, whom he thereafter brought with him from town to town. His youngest, Paul, would always remember his father’s commanding presence in the pulpit — and though he largely rejected religion in later life, it would seem that the son did absorb some of the old man’s convictions, however indirectly. “Often truths must be placed in paradoxes [that] the truths themselves may be revealed,” Reverend Rudolph wrote in one of his published sermons. It could almost stand as a motto for Paul Rudolph’s architectural career.

It has not necessarily made for universal popularity. The paradoxes of Paul Rudolph’s buildings are often tough to crack, and the truths that they reveal are not to everyone’s liking. His most important public commissions, mostly dating to the 1960s, could be typified as Brutalist – not everyone’s cup of tea to be sure, though even that movement enjoys a broader fanbase nowadays than Rudolph’s work, which often seems to preserve Brutalism’s self-seriousness while scrapping its lovable sci-fi eccentricity. But especially in his civic projects, Rudolph was after something different than his concrete contemporaries: not a vision of the urban future, but a visceral expression of the social present; not a machine for forging a new collective identity, but a very human crucible for individual, creative becoming. It’s strong stuff, and in the historic heart of old New England, he served it up with no chaser.

Begun in 1963, and completed eight years later, the Boston Government Service Center is actually two structures, the Charles F Hurley Building and its attached pendant, the Erich Lindemann Building. One could be forgiven for not noticing the distinction: as seen from what is nominally the primary entrance, on its eastern side, the complex presents an unbroken ring of concrete and glass, looming in stepped terraces around a vast interior plaza. Only in navigating the perimeter of the wedge-shaped site, along busy Staniford and Merrimac Streets, does the true nature of the scheme become clear, and with it the distinction between its various components – Hurley, at the southern tip of the C-shaped plan, meets the city with an almost classical façade of regular piers and glazed intercolumnations, while Lindemann to the north presents a dizzying pattern of external staircases, topped by a profusion of sculptural ventilation towers. Clad in Rudolph’s signature corduroy-ribbed concrete, the whole building feels hairy, ornery, a big wild beast squatting in the middle of polite, Hahvard-accented Beantown.

In fact, it was nearly wilder. In his original proposal, Rudolph called for a massive tower near one side of the plaza; the plaza itself was to have been a nautilus- like curl of steps ranged around the high-rise, tricked out with banners and shrubs and vari-textured pavings. As it is, the complex is somewhat less elaborate, though also more confusing than Rudolph intended – and is destined to become only more so: in 1998, the Edward R Brooke Courthouse was added in place of the tower, a rather sedate affair that closes off one side of the courtyard; just a year and a half ago, after the Rudolph portion was threatened with demolition, it was announced that a pending renovation would preserve the existing buildings while adding a series of new, rather more conservative towers on top of Hurley. It was never easy to understand quite what the architect was intending to communicate before, and it’s unlikely to get any easier.

Just the same, the fact that the building is being preserved at all has to be reckoned a huge win: all too often, Rudolph’s high-maintenance public buildings have been dismissed as unworkable, with many succumbing to the wrecking ball in recent years. And though the message it conveys may be garbled, the Government Service Center contains the Rudolphian spirit in one of its purest forms – and certainly at one of its grandest scales.

“Buildings are like people,” Rudolph himself once said. “They can be honest or not so honest.” In his early houses in Florida; at his celebrated Yale School of Architecture in New Haven; as, in a different way, in his late skyscraper projects in East Asia, long after his star in the United States had dimmed: at every stage of his career, Paul Rudolph practiced an unusual variety of honesty, speaking to more than mere architectural truth. A conventional Brutalist might have used raw concrete as a signpost for material candour – a celebration of the building’s actual substance – but those long expanses of bush-hammered roughness in Boston are too theatrical, too emotive for that. A structural purist might have forgone all those trimmings and furbelows – the ovular projections, the crisscrossing walkways – but Rudolph makes a meal out of every projecting volume, every sectional collision. In a building that appears to be frank, confrontational even, almost everything is a kind of gamesmanship. A paradox, in other words, of the very kind Reverend Rudolph long prescribed.

What is the truth embedded in this particular paradox? Certainly, against the background of the Vietnam War, political assassinations, the promise of the Great Society and of the civil rights movement, it’s hard not to see the building as reflecting the fraught American prospect after mid-century, a heroic yet terrifying cri de coeur. There’s something too of urban critique: in the modern technocratic city, Rudolph gives us a monument to funkiness – a stubborn, solipsistic kick right to the bureaucratic solar plexus. But most of all, it might be just that the paradox itself is the truth. Rudolph was a secretive man; even to his intimates, he spoke rarely of himself or of his past. For the government of one of America’s oldest cities, at the height of his renown, the designer made one of his largest public projects into one of his most confounding architectural statements. That may tell us all we need to know.

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Architectural Posters as Works of Art

Architectural Posters as Works of Art

World-Architects.com
John Hill - March 11, 2024

Designing Decades: Architectural Poster Art (1972-1982) is on display at the Modulightor Building, the New York City home of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, until April 7, 2024. Drawn from the collection of architect Judith York Newman, owner of SPACED Gallery of Architecture, the exhibition features forty posters that served as announcements for architectural exhibitions, lectures, and other events. Here we present a selection of the posters on display.

Although Judith York Newman is not as familiar a name as Max Protetch and Leo Castelli, fellow gallerists who held architectural shows in New York City in the 1970s and 80s, SPACED Gallery of Architecture, established in 1976, is notable as the first gallery in the city devoted to architecture. Unlike Protetch and Castelli, who were dealers of art with occasional shows of architecture, Newman was educated as an architect (at Cornell University) and worked as an architect as well as an educator and editor, all within the realm of architecture. Therefore SPACED, as the name implies, focused exclusively on representations of architecture, presenting prints, drawings, photographs, and models on architects and buildings over more than 40 years (the latest show was held in fall 2019).

While Designing Decades: Architectural Poster Art (1972-1982) is not limited to posters for shows that were held at SPACED, theirs are some of the first posters visitors encounter when stopping off the elevator on the fifth floor of the Rudolph Institute's Modulightor Building. Notable among them is Architectural America (at top), an early show in 1976 that was advertised with text literally cut and pasted atop an image of Jasper Johns' Three Flags (1958). Just as the literature for Designing Decades describes its contents as encapsulating “a pivotal moment in time before the internet age,” the collage of text on art in this poster — clearly visible in the original on display behind glass — captures the techniques of those pre-Photoshop days.

Other posters from SPACED on display at include, among others, a few by illustrator David Macaulay, clearly a favorite of Newman's, and one from a 1977 exhibition of the drawings of Lebbeus Woods. Posters from other venues span from the Grand Palais and Centre Pompidou, both in Paris, and the RIBA Heinz Gallery in London, to the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies (IAUS) and Brooklyn Museum, both in New York City. The last venue staged Women in American Architecture, the influential exhibition organized by The Architectural League of New York in 1977. It presence in Designing Decades comes in the form of the text-heavy “Historic Chart Relating Architectural Projects to General and Women's History in the United States,” revealing that, while many posters opted for striking graphics to hook people, some served as vehicles of disseminating information beyond the confines of their exhibitions.

Designing Decades is spread across the fifth and sixth floors of Modulightor, the building Paul Rudolph designed for the lighting company of the same name in the early 1990s. The fifth and sixth floors were added after Rudolph's death in 1997 but were based on extant designs by the famed architect. As such, a visit to the exhibition is recommended as much to see inside the Rudolph building as for seeing the posters on display. If anything, the posters hung across the two floors have a hard time competing with the architectural complexity of the spaces. Nevertheless, Newman and the Rudolph Institute did a good job of placing the posters in sometimes unexpected places — at stair landings, for instance — turning the posters also into invitations to explore Rudolph's interiors.

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Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross - Blue Shield building declared local landmark by Boston Landmarks Commission

Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross - Blue Shield building declared local landmark by Boston Landmarks Commission

The Archinect’s Newspaper
Daniel Roche - March 08, 2024

The Boston Landmarks Commission has unanimously voted to declare the Blue Cross – Blue Shield building by Paul Rudolph a local landmark. The announcement comes after years of preservation advocacy to save the Brutalist building, a campaign which started in 2006.

Blue Cross – Blue Shield is a 13-story, 120,000-square-foot concrete tower located at 133 Federal Street in downtown Boston, completed in 1960. It is one of three buildings by Paul Rudolph in the city of Boston, and was the architect’s first tall building.

The Brutalist tower is known for its Y-shaped, precast-concrete piers; columns made of large white quartz aggregate; and a novel HVAC system that’s hidden within non-load bearing columns. Rudolph wanted the building’s opacity and heaviness to challenge the rampant construction of glass curtain wall buildings happening in cities around the U.S.

Rudolph’s project at 133 Federal Street was one of the first new ground-up building in Boston’s central business district since the 1920s, marking a turning point in the city’s history after years of economic stagnation. It was also one of Boston’s first Brutalist buildings. In 1975, Sasaki renovated the tower’s ground level to accommodate a new bank. Its basement-level had numerous uses over the years, including an art gallery.

In 2006, then-Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (who was certainly no fan of Brutalist architecture) proposed demolishing Rudolph’s Blue Cross – Blue Shield building for a new, 75-story “iconic tower” by Renzo Piano. But once preservationists caught wind of the proposition, they took action and requested a 90-day stay of demolition to determine if Blue Cross – Blue Shield is historically significant enough to merit preservation.

The 2007–8 recession then stymied commercial demand for the Piano tower, so demolition plans for Blue Cross – Blue Shield were shelved. After, the Boston Landmarks Commission identified the Blue Cross – Blue Shield building in 2009 as eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, which opened up the opportunity for a landmark status petition with the city of Boston.

Once the economy bounced back, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) revisited plans to develop the site. The BRA issued an RFP which drew five responses, one of them from Trans National Properties who proposed demolishing Blue Cross – Blue Shield for a twin-tower construction project, in-sync with another development site at 115 Winthrop Square. That project looked like it would come to fruition until it was stopped in 2017.

Flash forward to November 2023, the Boston Landmarks Commission published a study report on Blue Cross – Blue Shield’s proposed designation as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975.

The announcement to landmark this Rudolph building comes a few months after another decision by Boston city officials to recommend landmarking another Brutalist building, Boston City Hall by Gerhard Kallmann and Michael McKinnell.

Read the original article here.

Vintage architectural posters from 1970s–80s to be exhibited by Paul Rudolph Institute and SPACED Gallery of Architecture

Vintage architectural posters from 1970s–80s to be exhibited by Paul Rudolph Institute and SPACED Gallery of Architecture

Archinect
Niall Patrick Walsh - March 01, 2024

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is to present an exhibition centered on the design of architectural poster art. Titled Designing Decades: Architectural Poster Art (1972–1982) and organized in collaboration with SPACED Gallery of Architecture, the pieces on display are curated from the private collection of Judith York Newman, the American architect, educator, and owner of SPACED.  

The subject posters, sourced from around the world, originally served as announcements for architectural exhibitions, lectures, and commemorative events. Educational institutions associated with the posters include Cornell, Columbia, and Yale, while other organizations involved in the commission of the original posters include RIBA Heinz, Centre Pompidou, and the Smithsonian.

In their entirety, the posters highlight an “era of diverse stylistic expressions of architects and institutions, and collectively accentuate the experimental design choices of the 1970s–80s,” organizers say. The exhibition is also intended to serve as a testament to Newman’s own longstanding commitment to the intersection of art and architecture.

“Prior to the internet, they were an important and sometimes sole source for information about location, opening times, and special events,” Newman said about the exhibition. “This selection of 40 works not only serves as a retrospective survey of graphic design but also encapsulates a pivotal moment in time before the internet age.”

Read the original article here.

10 must-see architecture and design events to check out this March

10 must-see architecture and design events to check out this March

Archinect
Alexander Walter - March 01, 2024

The month of March spoils the architecture and design community with another plethora of exciting events: No matter if you're drawn to festivals, new exhibitions, trade shows, symposia, or academic conferences — we've got you covered.

From the roster of ongoing and upcoming events listed on Bustler, here is our curated selection of recommendations worth checking out.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Open House Miami | March 1–2, Miami

Kicking off the new month in style is Miami Beach, which hosts the inaugural edition of Open House Miami. Free and open to the public, the two-day festival offers access to more than 50 individual experiences in 15 different neighborhoods.

Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence | March 2 – September 22, London

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum will open a new exhibition on the topic of Tropical Modernism in British West Africa in the late 1940s, detailing the style's colonial roots and its legacy in the post-colonial period.

Designing Decades: Architectural Poster Art (1972–1982) | March 7 – April 7, New York City

Another exhibition on a fascinating period of architectural history opens to the public in NYC: Organized by the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture and SPACED Gallery of Architecture, Designing Decades presents vintage poster art, which once announced architectural exhibitions, lectures, and commemorative events.

SXSW 2024 | March 8–16, Austin

Is it a conference? Is it a festival? It's South by Southwest! Returning to Austin for the 37th year, the upcoming SXSW offers a packed schedule of events and keynotes for creatives and designers. 

In Focus: Research | March 16, London

The Design Museum in London will host the 2024 In Focus: Research symposium in mid-March. Organized by The World Around and Future Observatory, the event boasts an impressive lineup of speakers. Can't make it in person? Join via the live stream.

Architect@Work London 2024 | March 20–21, London

While in London, why not stick around for this year's edition of the two-day Architect@Work trade event at the Truman Brewery, presented under the theme "FOCUS: People + Planet: designing from the ground up."

ONGOING EVENTS

Frank Gehry: Ruminations | Until April 6, New York City

If you're in Manhattan this month, stop by the Gagosian on Madison Avenue to see Frank Gehry's current show Ruminations, featuring the architect's latest works in sculpture and on paper.

CFA Lab: Seeking Refuge and Making Home in NYC | Until March 23, New York City

Also in New York, the work of the Center for Architecture Lab's 2023 residents Kholisile Dhliwayo, A.L. Hu, and Karla Andrea Pérez is still on display until March 23rd, examining the idea of "Home."

Copenhagen Architecture Festival: FOODSCAPES – By Eating We Digest Territories | Until April 26, Copenhagen

And should you find yourself in Copenhagen this spring, make sure to stop by FOODSCAPES, a new exhibition presented by CAFx on the "overlooked architecture of our food systems."

Read the original article here.

Landmarks Designates Two Modern Buildings as Final Designations for 2023

Landmarks Designates Two Modern Buildings as Final Designations for 2023

Cityland
Veronica Rose - January 03, 2024

On December 19, 2023, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate two buildings as individual landmarks. The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Queens and the Modulightor Building in Manhattan, were the final designations of 2023. 

The Barker, Levin & Company Office Pavilion is located at 12-12 33rd Avenue in Long Island City and was designed in 1957 by Ulrich Franzen. The building is a great example of mid-20th century commercial architecture; the minimalist pavilion sits on a small, landscaped parcel consisting of low brick walls, concrete walkways and grass laws. The pavilion features nine steel pillars supporting an umbrella-like ceiling that extend past the building’s glass walls to provide extra shade. The facility was originally constructed as a manufacturing facility for women’s coats which included all stages of production.

The Modulightor Building is located at 246 East 58th Street in Manhattan and was designed by Paul Rudolph in 1989. The building was constructed in two phases on a 20-foot wide lot, with the first phase completed in 1993 four years before Rudolph’s death, and the remainder completed in 2018 under architect Mark Squeo. The building’s front and rear elevations consist of overlapping vertical and horizontal rectangles. The building features a multi-level roof terrace and three cantilevered steel balconies facing a rear patio. The building is named after the architectural lighting company Rudolph founded in 1976. Rudolph was known for his modern sculptural aesthetic featuring industrial materials like steel and concrete. The building features ground floor commercial space, and an expanded duplex apartment, which is occupied by the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. 

Landmarks Chair Sarah Carroll stated, “New York City’s streetscape has always served as a canvas for some of the world’s most creative minds, and the buildings designated today highlight two exceptionally innovative designs by internationally prominent modern architects, one at the start of his career, and the other towards the end of it. I’m pleased that the Commission has chosen to recognize these modern architectural gems, and grateful that they’ll be preserved for future generations to come.” 

By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)

Read the original article here.

Preservation stories that had AN editors buzzing in 2023

Preservation stories that had AN editors buzzing in 2023

The Architect’s Newspaper
Kristine Klein - December 21, 2023

Demolitions. Designations. Decorations. Preservation stories always excite AN readers who often rally around projects by eminent architects slated for the wrecking ball or praise expertly restored ones. This year was no exception. We saw history years-in-the-making play out as several imperiled buildings faced an unfortunate fate, while elsewhere the future of others hang in limbo.

A number of office-to-residential projects mark a shift toward the reuse of buildings, a trend taking hold in cities across the country. From a project to restore the town of a Willie Nelson movie set to a proposed change to move a door 19 inches at a Paul Rudolph–designed townhouse, here are the preservation stories AN covered this year that kept editors and readers on edge.

New York City Planning Commission voted to allow renovation of 60 Wall Street’s postmodern lobby

The beloved 1989 postmodern lobby by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo at 60 Wall Street has been a topic of conservation among New York preservation circles for the last few years. In August the city’s planning commission decision to renovate the exquisite example of postmodern design was again met with chagrin by the architecture and preservation community. AN spoke with Docomomo U.S. executive director Liz Waytkus, architecture critic Alexander Lange, and architect Robert M. Stern following the news. Each recalled their disappointment to not maintain the public space, even going on to say more could be done to save it and more emphasis could be placed on the study of postmodern architecture.

SOM’s Baxter International suburban office park lives on

In January, Baxter announced plans to sell its SOM-designed office campus in Deerfield, Illinois , citing supply chain congestion, rising costs, and poor financial performance. The company planned to sell the 101-acre office park to Bridge Industrial with plans to demolish the complex and replace it with a 1.3-million-square-foot warehouse and shipping hub. After much public resistance, primarily from local residents, Bridge withdrew their plans to redevelop the office park in June.

SOM architect Richard Tomlinson believes the Baxter campus’s modular flexibility makes it an ideal candidate for adaptive reuse. And so the suburban behemoth of rectilinear structure connected by skywalks and underground tunnels lives on.

Chicago Tribune Tower converted to residential use

Elsewhere in Chicago another preservation win is the renovation of the storied Tribune Tower. One of several office-to-residential adaptive reuse projects taking hold in the city, the Tribune Tower, first conceived as part of a design competition in 1922, now has a residential purpose. Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB) led the redesign, which converted offices into 162 units and 55,000 square feet of amenity space.

The firm maintained as much of the original infrastructure as possible while making minimal interventions. From the outside of the tower not much has changed, with much of the renovation concentred to the interiors where vital infrastructure was updated to make way for new retail spaces and the host of new residential amenity spaces.

In Detroit, ODA converted a historic office tower to hotel and residential use

The office-to-residential pipeline is thriving. In addition to the Tribune Tower, a landmark building in Detroit also underwent a major conversion. Headed by New York–based ODA Architecture, Detroit’s Book Tower has been converted into a hotel, residences, restaurants, and retail.

Restoration was a tedious process that involved preserving the building’s masonry facade, while maintaining the historical integrity of the interiors. A major component, and crowning achievement, of the project was the restoration of the glass skylit atrium. Restoring the glass was akin to piecing together a puzzle. While some glazed elements were cleaned and preserved, others were remade to match speculated versions of what was once there.

Demolition of the Gyo Obata restaurant pavilion made way for the new Bezos Learning Center

The year started out with sadly anticipated demolition of architect Gyo Obata’s glass restaurant pavilion on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A job designed to make way for the $130 million Bezos Learning Center is slated for construction on the site.

The pyramid-shaped pavilion was built to accommodate school groups and other museum visitors and had been closed since 2017. This year the Smithsonian, who is behind the planned Bezos Learning Center, announced Perkins&Will will design the new structure following five proposals announced in 2022. According to a press release the firm was chosen for its “ample experience designing cultural and education spaces, the composition and credentials of its management team, and the strength of the team’s aesthetic approach.”

An old western town built as a set for a Willie Nelson film was restored

In a change from the traditional preservation stories AN covers was news that the town of Luck, Texas, designed by Willie Nelson for the film he produced and starred in Red Headed Stranger, has been restored. The Old West town, complete with a dirt road street, wood buildings, and a saloon, was restored by architects from Cushing Terrell. The film set will now serve as a performing arts and hospitality venue for up to 4,000 guests.

While the buildings themselves were not historic, the architects adopted a light touch approach and treated them as if they were; this involved staying true to the architecture, and keeping the wood material and trusses present throughout.

LPC ruled the entry of a Paul Rudolph–designed home cannot be moved back by 19 inches

Other fun preservation news this year came out of a Landmark Preservation Commission hearing in New York City over a Paul Rudolph–designed townhouse on the Upper East Side, owned by Tom Ford. The modern townhouse at 101 East 63rd Street occupies the footprint of a former carriage house designed in 1881, later redesigned by Rudolph in 1966.

Trash, loitering, and vagrancy outside the residence led the current residents to commission Steven Blatz Architects to redesign the entryway. A proposal presented to the LPC sought to move the recessed doorway out by 19 inches—a change that would reduce the distance from the door to the property line from four feet to two-and-a-half feet. Other changes included making alterations to the soffit.

The proposals were turned down by the commission. Preservationists and the community spoke out in defense of the planes, light, and shadows that define the existing structure. One commissioner brought up that if the residence was occupied more frequently the aforementioned issues would be, well, less of an issue.

Sotheby’s purchased the fabled Breuer Building

Tenancy of the Breuer Building near Manhattan’s Museum Mile has changed hands a number of times in recent years. In June 2023 the global auction house Sotheby’s announced it would purchase the building. The building was first conceived as a storage facility for The Whitney Museum of American Art in 1966. It was later sold to The Met, and following that the Frick used it for a time.

When Sotheby’s occupies the building fully in 2025 it will make the former museum and art facility its main headquarters, relocating its gallery spaces, auction room, and offices from its current location at 1334 York Avenue.

Read the original article here.

Modernist structures by Paul Rudolph and Ulrich Franzen are New York City’s newest landmarks

Modernist structures by Paul Rudolph and Ulrich Franzen are New York City’s newest landmarks

The Architect’s Newspaper
Edward Gunts - December 21, 2023

After several Modernist buildings by Paul Rudolph have fallen to the wrecking ball or been substantially altered, 2023 is ending with one of the last buildings he designed gaining protection as a public landmark.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted unanimously to designate Rudolph’s Modulightor Building an individual city landmark. The commission also voted to designate a one-story structure by Ulrich Franzen: the Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Long Island City. The designations protect both buildings from changes to their exteriors, including demolition. Any proposed changes will have to be reviewed and approved by LPC before the city issues a construction permit.

Located at 246 East 58th Street in Manhattan, the Modulightor Building is one of just a few structures Rudolph designed in Manhattan, where he moved at the height of his career in the mid-1960s. A six-story, multi-purpose structure that replaced a row house dating from the 1860s, it takes its name from an architectural lighting company that Rudolph founded in 1976 with Ernst Wagner, featuring customizable light fixtures and systems.

The Modulightor Building is the only publicly accessible structure in New York designed by Rudolph, who died in 1997. Constructed in two phases starting in 1989, it contains a ground floor commercial space that serves as a showroom for Modulightor. Its upper levels are occupied by the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. Other Rudolph-designed buildings in Manhattan are 23 Beekman Place, where Rudolph lived for many years, and the Halston house at 101 East 63rd Street, a private residence owned by designer Tom Ford—both already designated as landmarks.

The lower four floors of the Modulightor Building were designed by Rudolph and completed in 1993, four years before his death in 1997. The upper two floors and a roof deck were added by architect Mark Squeo between 2010 and 2016, using Rudolph’s preliminary drawings for a six-story structure on the site.

In recent years, several of the Rudolph’s buildings have been demolished or significantly altered. The list includes Burroughs Wellcome headquarters in North Carolina and his Shoreline Apartments in Buffalo, New York.

This week’s LPC designation and possible landmark designation in Boston of Rudolph’s 12-story Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building at 133 Federal Street come as more positive developments to those who admire his work. At the request of the building’s owner, commissioners agreed to extend the public comment period to December 27 before taking action.

“This is a great designation partly because there are fewer and fewer Rudolph buildings around and he’s an undeniably important mid-century-and-later architect in the U. S.,” said LPC commission vice chair Frederick Bland.

“During his lifetime, Rudolph wished our residence at 23 Beekman Place would become a study and resource center for the architectural community,” Wagner said in a statement. “When that didn’t happen, I promised him that I’d use the Modulightor building to fulfill his wish and then created the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. It is fitting that the Modulightor building – designed by and dedicated to Paul Rudolph – will be preserved as a living example of his genius. Thank you to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for ensuring future generations will get to experience and learn from his work.”

LPC’s hearing on December 19 also designated the Barkin Levin Company Office Pavilion in Long Island City, one of the first projects Ulrich Franzen completed after starting his own office. Constructed in 1957 and 1958 as part of a factory complex in Queens, it was described by the landmarks commission as “a distinguished example of mid-20th century commercial architecture, a graceful minimalist building set on a small, landscaped parcel of land and enclosed by low brick walls, concrete walkways, and grass lawns.”

“It’s no coincidence that you brought them both together because they’re of the same period and these two architects were in fact contemporaries and knew each other,” said LPC commissioner Jean Lutfy of the two buildings. “The other interesting thing is that both of these projects are aberrations from their Brutalist style, so they’re a little more refined and they’re definitely more an expression of what was going on at this particular time….I think we’re so fortunate to sort of capture them and preserve them and recognize them, and I’m so happy to be part of that process.”

Read the original article here.

This Sutton Place Building Is Now A Mid-Century Modern Landmark

This Sutton Place Building Is Now A Mid-Century Modern Landmark

Patch
Peter Senzamici - December 20, 2023

SUTTON PLACE, NY — A "striking" Sutton Place building that is a "living example" of a storied architect's "genius" is now a protected city landmark.

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission members unanimously voted Tuesday to give an individual landmark designation to the Modulightor Building, designed by architectural superstar, Paul Rudolph.

At 246 East 58th St. near Second Avenue, the Modulightor Building was designed by Rudolph in 1989, built in 1993 just four year before his death and features a striking facade filled with intersecting vertical and horizontal lines, forming a jigsaw-like experience.

The commission calls the building a "highly significant late work" by Rudolph. The name "Modulightor" comes from the architectural lighting company he founded in 1976, the commision writes.

Rudolph, a leading figure in American architecture who served as the Dean of the Yale School of Architecture for several years, has two other landmarked buildings on the east side: The Paul Rudolph Penthouse & Apartments at 23 Beekman Place, and the building referred to as the “Halston House,” named after the famous designer who lived and partied there for 15 years, at 101 East 63rd St., on the Upper East Side.

It was at the Beekman Place apartment that Rudolph hoped would "become a study and resource center for the architectural community," said Ernst Wagner, executor of Paul Rudolph's Estate. "When that didn't happen, I promised him that I'd use the Modulightor building to fulfill his wish and then created the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture.

During the initial phase of the construction, Rudolph moved his office to the building and became his own contractor, the commission said, while the lower floors operated as a lighting showroom by his partner, Wagner.

In 2016, the building was officially completed with the addition of two floors and a roof deck based on Rudolph's original drawings housed in the Library of Congress.

City landmarks commissioners took notice of the building this year as an example of modern architecture. The Modulightor building was landmarked along with the The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Astoria, officials said.

"It is fitting that the Modulightor building – designed by and dedicated to Paul Rudolph – will be preserved as a living example of his genius," said Wagner. "Thank you to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for ensuring future generations will get to experience and learn from his work."

LPC Designates Two Modern Buildings as Individual Landmarks

LPC Designates Two Modern Buildings as Individual Landmarks

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Staff - December 19, 2023

Long Island City's Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion Is a Distinguished Example of Mid-20th Century Commercial Design by Architect Ulrich Franzen

East Midtown Manhattan's Modulightor Building Is a Late-Modern Style Design by Architect Paul Rudolph Featuring a Visually Striking Exterior

New York –Today, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) voted unanimously to designate two modern buildings as individual landmarks: the Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Queens and the Modulightor Building in Manhattan.

The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion, located at 12-12 33rd Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, is a distinguished example of mid-20th century commercial architecture, a graceful minimalist building set on a small, landscaped parcel of land and enclosed by low brick walls, concrete walkways, and grass lawns. Constructed in 1957-58 as part of a factory complex, the building was one of the first independent projects from architect Ulrich Franzen, who worked with I. M. Pei for five years before leaving to start his own office. It features an unusual structural system: nine steel pillars that support umbrella-like ceiling vaults that extend up and outside the glass walls, shading the pavilion. The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion has been described by the New York Times as "ultramodern" and praised by architectural historians.

The Modulightor Building, located at 246 East 58th Street in Manhattan, is a highly significant late work by Paul Rudolph, one of the 20th century's most innovative architects. It was designed in 1989 in the late-modern style and constructed in two phases. The first four floors were mostly complete by 1993, and the top two floors and roof deck were added by the architect Mark Squeo between 2010 and 2016, based on Rudolph drawings in the collection of the Library of Congress. The building features a visually striking exterior, with front and rear facades composed of intersecting and overlapping horizontal and vertical rectangles of varying projection and size, and painted steel I-beams that form jigsaw-like screens. The Modulightor Building takes its name from the architectural lighting company Rudolph founded in 1976 with Ernst Wagner, whose showroom originally occupied the lower floors and remains in the building today.

"New York City's streetscape has always served as a canvas for some of the world's most creative minds, and the buildings designated today highlight two exceptionally innovative designs by internationally prominent modern architects, one at the start of his career, and the other towards the end of it," said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll. "I'm pleased that the Commission has chosen to recognize these modern architectural gems, and grateful that they'll be preserved for future generations to come."   

"During his lifetime, Rudolph wished our residence at 23 Beekman Place would become a study and resource center for the architectural community," said Ernst Wagner, Executor of Paul Rudolph's Estate. "When that didn't happen, I promised him that I'd use the Modulightor building to fulfill his wish and then created the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. It is fitting that the Modulightor building – designed by and dedicated to Paul Rudolph – will be preserved as a living example of his genius. Thank you to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for ensuring future generations will get to experience and learn from his work."

The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion received considerable attention right from the start. Originally constructed for a manufacturer of women's coats, The New York Times cited it as "the first major plant in the garment industry" to incorporate all stages of production. The office pavilion was illustrated in a proposal to modify the New York City zoning code, widely featured in newspapers,  architectural journals, and trade publications, and awarded "first prize in the industrial class" by the Queens Chamber of Commerce in 1958. Despite the praise, the office pavilion's time as home to Barkin, Levin & Company was relatively short; the company closed the facility in 1961 and began leasing it out. The pavilion was restored with some modifications in 2009, and retains its striking original form and many of its original features.

The Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion was one of architect Ulrich Franzen's earliest works; in subsequent years, Franzen would go on to design Brooklyn Heights' Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Dormitory, the first new building approved for a New York City historic district in 1967, and later served as a Landmarks Preservation Commissioner from 1992 to 1994.

Paul Rudolph and Ernst Wagner purchased the Modulightor Building, located on East 58th Street, in early 1989. During the initial phase of construction, Rudolph moved his office to the building and acted as his own contractor, while Wagner opened a showroom on the lower floors that featured customizable light fixtures and systems inspired by Rudolph. The first four floors, including two duplex apartments, were mostly complete by 1993, four years before the architect's death. Under the architect Mark Squeo, who worked in the Rudolph's office during the early 1990s, a second phase of construction – adding two floors and a roof deck – was completed in 2016, based on Rudolph drawings in the collection of the Library of Congress. The Modulightor Building continues to house the lighting company Rudolph founded with Ernst Wagner, as well as the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, a non-profit organization dedicated to Rudolph's remarkable creative legacy.

The Modulightor's architect, Paul Rudolph, was a leading figure in American architecture during the latter half of the 20th century who was known for his modern sculptural aesthetic that often relied on industrial materials like concrete and steel. Rudolph moved his thriving architectural practice to Manhattan at the height of his career in the mid-1960s when he was Dean of the Yale School of Architecture. Two other buildings designed by Rudolph in Manhattan are New York City landmarks: The Paul Rudolph Penthouse & Apartments at 23 Beekman Place, and the so-called "Halston House" at 101 East 63rd Street, which is part of the Upper East Side Historic District.

Images: Photographs of the sites are available here:

• The Barkin, Levin and Company Office Pavilion

• The Modulightor Building

About the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is the mayoral agency responsible for protecting and preserving New York City's architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings and sites. Since its creation in 1965, LPC has granted landmark status to more than 37,900 buildings and sites, including 1,459 individual landmarks, 121 interior landmarks, 11 scenic landmarks, and 156 historic districts and extensions in all five boroughs. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/landmarks and connect with us at www.facebook.com/NYCLandmarks and www.twitter.com/nyclandmarks.

Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building is now an NYC Landmark

Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building is now an NYC Landmark

6sqft
Aaron Ginsberg - December 19, 2023

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to landmark the Modulightor Building, an iconic building in Midtown East designed by renowned modernist architect Paul Rudolph. Located at 246 East 58th Street, the building was built between 1989 and 1993 to house the Modulightor lighting company founded by Rudolph with German physicist Ernst Wagner. According to the commission, the building stands out for its special character and its historical and aesthetic significance in New York City.

“During his lifetime, Rudolph wished our residence at 23 Beekman Place would become a study and resource center for the architectural community,” Ernst Wagner, Executor of Paul Rudolph’s Estate, said.

“When that didn’t happen, I promised him that I’d use the Modulightor building to fulfill his wish and then created the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. It is fitting that the Modulightor building – designed by and dedicated to Paul Rudolph – will be preserved as a living example of his genius. Thank you to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for ensuring future generations will get to experience and learn from his work.”

After purchasing the property in 1989, Rudolph and Wagner devised a plan to rebuild the structure as a sales showroom for Modulightor and as a residential space. Located on a 20 by 100-foot lot, the building replaced an 1860s row house that had been remodeled into a commercial structure in the early 1960s.

Rudolph acted as the contractor during the first phase of construction and in 1990 he and Wagner moved their offices into the unfinished building. In May 1993, the city’s Department of Buildings issued a certificate of occupancy for the structure’s cellar, first floor, and mezzanine.

Following Rudolph’s death in 1997, Mark Squeo, who worked with the architect during the 1990s, led the second phase of the project, which followed Rudolph’s design by adding a fifth and sixth story. The final phase of construction was completed in 2018.

Since the duplex does not yet meet the LPC’s age criteria for interior landmarks (30 years since the original certificate of occupancy), the apartment interiors are yet not eligible for landmark status.

The Modulightor Building is best known for its distinct front and rear elevations, which are made up of intersecting and overlapping horizontal and vertical rectangles of varying projection and size, according to the LPC. Painted steel I-beams and glass panels form jigsaw-like screens that reference the De Stijl movement, Russian Constructivism, and Mies van der Rohe.

The building includes ground-floor retail space and the duplex apartment, which is currently owned and occupied by the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. Founded in 2015, the Institute hosts monthly tours, making it the only publicly accessible Rudolph building. More information on the tours can be found here.

Other impressive architectural features include a multi-level roof terrace and four cantilevered steel balconies overlooking a rear patio.

Born in 1918 in Kentucky, Rudolph studied at Auburn University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he developed his signature modern sculptural aesthetic using industrial materials like concrete and steel, according to the LPC. In the mid-1960s at the peak of his career, while serving as chair of the Yale School of Architecture, Rudolph moved his practice to Manhattan.

During this period, Rudolph designed many prominent buildings, including the Jewett Art Center, the Tuskegee University Chapel, and the Yale School of Art & Architecture, which is now known as Rudolph Hall.

Two Rudolph-designed buildings are already NYC landmarks. The first is the Paul Rudolph Penthouse & Apartment, located at 23 Beekman Place, where Rudolph lived for a large portion of his life. The other is the Halston House, located at 101 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side.

“This is a great designation partly because there are fewer and fewer Rudolph buildings around and he’s an undeniably important mid-century and later architect in the United States,” Frederick Bland, LPC Commissioner, said.

The LPC on Tuesday also voted to designate the Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Long Island City, Queens, a single-story industrial building that was constructed from 1957 to 1958 and designed by architect Ulrich Franzen in the modern style.

Located on the corner of 13th Street and 33rd Avenue, the building is considered an architectural gem in western Queens. The pavilion stands out for its unusual structure system, which consists of nine concrete pillars that support umbrella-like ceiling vaults projecting beyond glass walls shading the brick paths and interiors, according to the LPC.

“It is no coincidence that you brought these two together,” Jeanne Lutfy, LPC Commissioner, said referring to the two designated landmarks. “These two architects were contemporaries and knew each other. Another interesting thing is that both of these projects are an apparition from their brutalist styles, so they’re a little more refined and they’re definitely an expression of what was going on at this particular time.”

The designation of the Modulightor is the first in the history of the LPC to officially acknowledge an architect’s gay identity. During last month’s public hearing, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project testified in favor of the designation.

“The building was designed by eminent architect and iconic modernist Paul Rudolph, who was openly gay,” Amanda Davis project manager of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project, testified. “While this would not be the first LPC-designated landmark designed by an LGBTQ architect, the designation of The Modulightor Building has the opportunity to be the first in the LPC’s history to officially acknowledge an architect’s gay identity.

“This provides a small but important step in making LGBTQ history visible.”

Center for Architecture Teen Workshops Expand with Architectural Photography

Center for Architecture Teen Workshops Expand with Architectural Photography

Center For Architecture
Tim Hayduk - November 29, 2023

The Center for Architecture’s Education Department kicked off its fall Teen Workshop series with a new offering, Architectural Photography. The Teen Workshop series introduces high school students to a broad range of skills and practices within the realm of architecture. Past offerings include workshops on sustainability, architectural drawing, model making, neighborhood planning, and new architecture in SoHo, among others.

For the new workshop, the Center for Architecture teamed up with veteran architectural photographer Richard Schulman, who has photographed Pritzker Prize-winning architects and their work from around the globe. The workshop began with a morning spent at the Center for Architecture, where students responded to a selection of architectural photographs from publicly accessible collections ranging from The New York Public Library and The Museum of the City of New York to the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) collection from the library of Congress. Schulman also shared several of his photographs. Students were introduced to the tilt-shift photography technique, a mainstay of traditional film-based architectural photography. With powerful digital editing tools in the palms of their hands, using their mobile phones, students experimented with various editing tools and were asked to take a “raw” photograph, then duplicate and manipulate it to see how digital technology could enhance their image.

For the afternoon, students headed to the Modulightor Building on the Upper West Side, where Kelvin Dickinson, President of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, provided insightful background into the life and work of Paul Rudolph. Dickinson described many of the design strategies Rudolph incorporated into this unique mixed-use building. Students had countless lenses with which to photograph the building’s interior, which is filled with nooks and crannies, collected objects, plants which blur the line between indoors and outdoors, and dramatic stairways. After taking photos, students shared their favorite raw and manipulated images. Schulman, Dickinson, and Lead Design Educator Tim Hayduk provided feedback as students discussed the process of shooting and editing their images.

The Center for Architecture received positive feedback from students, who said, “I really liked how we got to really explore all of the different parts of the building and see from many perspectives.” Others called the visit to Modulightor “fun and inspirational.”

Our winter/spring offerings will include a reprisal of the SoHo and Architectural Photography workshops, and two new programs focusing on the Center for Architecture’s Generation Proxima: Emerging Environmental Practices in Portuguese Architecture exhibition and Historic Preservation.

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Paul Rudolph’s Modernist Modulightor Building May Become NYC Landmark

Paul Rudolph’s Modernist Modulightor Building May Become NYC Landmark

6sqft
Aaron Ginsberg - October 03, 2023

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar an iconic building in Midtown East designed by renowned modernist architect Paul Rudolph. Located at 246 East 58th Street, the Modulightor Building was built between 1989 and 1993 to house the lighting company of the same name Rudolph founded with German physicist Ernst Wagner. Rudolph designed the duplex apartment on floors three and four, which is the only Rudolph-designed space regularly open to the public.

After purchasing the building in 1989, Rudolph and Wagner came up with a plan to rebuild the structure as a sales showroom for Modulightor and as a residential space. Located on a 20 by 100-foot lot, the building replaced an 1860s row house that had been remodeled into a commercial structure by the early 1960s.

Rudolph acted as his own contractor during the first phase of construction, and in 1990 he and Wagner moved their offices into the unfinished building. In May 1993, the city’s Department of Buildings issued a certificate of occupancy for the structure’s cellar, first floor, and mezzanine.

Following Rudolph’s death in 1997, Mark Squeo, who worked with the architect during the 1990s, led the second phase of the project, which followed Rudolph’s design by adding a fifth and sixth story. The final phase of construction was completed in 2018.

Because the duplex does not meet the LPC’s age criteria for interior landmarks (30 years since the original certificate of occupancy), the apartment interiors are yet not eligible for landmark status.

The Modulightor Building is best known for its striking front and rear elevations, which are composed of intersecting and overlapping horizontal and vertical rectangles of varying projection and size, according to the LPC. The painted steel I-beams and glass panels form jigsaw-like screens that reference the De Stijl movement, Russian Constructivism, the style of architect Mies van der Rohe, and Rudolph’s famous Milam Residence of 1959 from 1961.

The structure includes ground-floor retail space and the duplex apartment, currently owned and owned and occupied by the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture. Founded in 2015, the Institute hosts monthly tours, making it the only publicly accessible Rudolph building. More information on the tours can be found here.

Other architectural features include a multi-level roof terrace and four cantilevered steel balconies that overlook a rear patio.

“I toured the apartment interior with the owners. A, they are immensely proud of this space and B, it is completely untouched. It is a perfect integration of inside and outside, and a perfect expression of Rudolph’s ethos,” Michael Goldblum, LPC Commissioner said. “It’s really just a very amazing place.”

Born in Kentucky, Rudolph studied at Auburn University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design where he developed his signature modern sculptural aesthetic using industrial materials like concrete and steel, according to the LPC. In the mid-1960s at the height of his career, while he was serving as chair of the Yale School of Architecture, Rudolph moved his practice to Manhattan.

During this period, Rudolph designed many prominent buildings, including the Jewett Art Center, the Tuskegee University Chapel, and the Yale School of Art & Architecture, which is now known as Rudolph Hall.

Two Rudolph buildings are already New York City landmarks. The first is the Paul Rudolph Penthouse & Apartment, located at 23 Beekman Place, where Rudolph lived for a large portion of his life. The other is the Halston House, located at 101 East 63rd Street on the Upper East Side.

The LPC on Tuesday also voted to calendar the Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion in Long Island City, Queens, a single-story industrial building that was constructed from 1957 to 1958 and designed by architect Ulrich Franzen in the modern style.

Located on the corner of 13th Street and 33rd Avenue, the building is considered an architectural gem in western Queens. The pavilion stands out for its unusual structure system, which consists of nine concrete pillars that support umbrella-like ceiling vaults projecting beyond glass walls shading the brick paths and interiors, according to the LPC.

The Paul Rudolph Foundation, Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, and the Paul Rudolph Estate reach a court settlement

The Paul Rudolph Foundation, Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, and the Paul Rudolph Estate reach a court settlement

The Architect’s Newspaper
Dan Roche - July 24, 2023

LPC says fashion designer Tom Ford can’t change the doorway to his Paul Rudolph–designed home on the Upper East Side

LPC says fashion designer Tom Ford can’t change the doorway to his Paul Rudolph–designed home on the Upper East Side

The Architect’s Newspaper
Kristine Klein - March 01, 2023