PRIMA supports effort to preserve Modernist home in Brooklyn

Photo by DDReps for Dwell

For over fifty years, three modernist homes designed by Joseph and Mary Merz on Willow Place in Brooklyn, New York have stood as nationally recognized examples of how contemporary architecture can honor historic neighborhoods.

Now one of these architectural treasures faces a visible rooftop addition that would fundamentally alter its carefully composed design - the very quality that earned these homes AIA awards and made them required study for architecture students nationwide.

It is a true piece of modernist history - a subtle monument to the sublime scale, line, and proportion that define great architecture.

If this addition goes forward, it will no longer honor their design; it will become just another development. And the idea of historic preservation will remain only an idea, not a standard.

Why a Rooftop Addition Matters

"It's just a rooftop structure—what's the big deal?" It's a fair question, but here's what's at stake: These buildings aren't beautiful by accident. Every line, every proportion was intentional. The Merzes designed these homes as complete sculptural compositions, where the roofline is as essential to the design as the façade. A visible addition doesn't just change the top of the building—it undermines the entire architectural statement.

These homes have educated generations of architects precisely because they demonstrate how modernist design can speak respectfully with historic neighbors through careful proportion and restraint. When you alter the roofline—the silhouette that defines the building's relationship to the street and its neighbors—you're not making a minor modification. You're changing the fundamental design that made these homes architecturally significant.

A Pivotal Moment in Architecture

In 1963, the Merz's purchased vacant, demolished lots on Willow Place. Rather than imitate the Greek Revival surroundings, they created something notable: modern homes that gave new life to the street while respecting the scale and character of their older neighbors.

For decades, architecture students from Columbia, Pratt, and programs across the country have visited these homes—often monthly—to study them as examples of how innovation and preservation coexist. These aren't museum pieces. They're working examples of thoughtful urban design.

The Precedent

Twenty years ago, when another owner of 40 Willow Place sought a similar rooftop addition, the Landmarks Preservation Commission ruled it must not be visible from the street, recognizing that "the unique sculptural design of these buildings would be severely compromised." That decision acknowledged an important principle: the architectural integrity of these buildings depends on their completeness.

The Larger Picture

The new owners have every right to personalize their home. But landmark designation means stewardship of something larger than private ownership. The Merzes themselves were passionate preservationists who fought for Brooklyn Heights and its historic character. To allow their own work—their contribution to that preservation legacy—to be altered in ways they specifically designed against creates a troubling contradiction.

What We're Asking

We're asking the Landmarks Preservation Commission to uphold their precedent at the November 25, 2025 hearing: that rooftop additions to these architecturally significant homes must not be visible from the street.

These buildings have educated generations about how cities can grow while honoring their past. Your signature demonstrates that landmark designation has meaning—that architectural significance matters, that precedent should be upheld, and that the standards we set today will shape preservation decisions for years to come.

Photo by DDReps for Dwell

About the Joseph and Mary Merz Residence

The property, known as the Joseph and Mary Merz Residence, is located in the Willowtown section of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Designed in 1965 - the same year the community became New York City’s first historic district - the home is one of three properties on Willow Place designed by the noted couple who were fixtures in the New York design community and fought to get the community designated.

Joseph and Mary Merz. Photo provided by the Merz family.

The exterior composition is influenced by Louis Kahn’s Esherick House in Philadelphia and reflects the couple’s ideas about modern architecture and how to gracefully handle light and privacy in a modern home. It is also significant as one of the few single-family structures from the era in Brooklyn.

The Merz Residence was published on several occasions including in Dwell:

“The Merz house stands out amidst its historic surroundings, a cement block home with more than a nodding resemblance to Louis Kahn’s Esherick House. It’s a modern home defined by a keyhole window overlooking a street that dates back to the age of barrel keys and candlesticks, with its neighbors including colonnaded Greek Revival row houses, brick carriage houses, and a few Gothic revival homes (and the two other Merz units, defined by different simple fenestration). …

The Merzes are a great story in themselves—they were Brooklyn Heights community fixtures and a great design duo. Joseph worked in Antonin Raymond’s office before being accepted to the Harvard School of Design to study with his idol Walter Gropius. World War II service intervened, and he subsequently ended up enrolled at Pratt, where he met his wife Mary in a class taught by Philip Johnson. Joseph worked for Josep Sert and Morris Lapidus, and then joined Mary at Edward Larrabee Barnes’s office. In 1957 they started their own firm, Merz Architects. …

The Merzes had their architectural office on the top floor, where they continued a stream of work for a variety of clients, designing multiple homes, including one for Lindsay-administration Parks Commissioner August Heckscher, dormitories at SUNY Potsdam, assorted work for the Department of the Interior, and Dreyfus Fund offices at the General Motors Building. They also renovated the neighborhood’s Alfred T. White Community Center and designed Adam Yauch Park nearby.”

— Anthony Paletta in Dwell on November 20, 2020

The homes were also written about by Otis Pratt Pearsall in a letter to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978:

“In the early '60' s when the Brooklyn Heights Association was pressing for a preservation law which would provide architectural controls for historic districts our principal concern, apart from the total demolition of houses, was the potential of major alterations to destroy the integrity of facades. The two most serious forms of alteration we faced in those days were the removal of stoops and the addition of storeys.

We were confronted by a rash of such alterations undertaken by real estate speculators seeking additional rental space in order to take advantage of the increasing rents sparked by the area's renaissance. Invariably, the addition of such storeys devastated the harmony and scale of the rows in which the affected properties were situated.

Within a relatively short period prior to passage of the Landmarks Law a large number of these new storeys were added, with devastating results. A typical example is the additional storey at 122 Willow Street which, at a single stroke, destroyed the quality of one of the finest Gothic Revival rows in the city. Fortunately, all this came to an abrupt halt with enactment of the Law.

One of the relatively few positive architectural developments on Brooklyn Heights during those years immediately preceding such enactment, was the construction of three houses designed by Joseph Merz at the south end of Willow Place. This unique, one-block street had more buildings designated as worthy of preservation in the Municipal Art Society's original paperback Landmarks booklet than any other block in the city. And of principal importance were the five remaining Greek Revival colonnade row houses at the south end, four on the east and one on the west. Mr. Merz faced the difficult task of filling in empty lots on either side of the single colonnade house and of another neighboring three-storey Greek Revival without overpowering these structures or the colonnade row across the street. That he was eminently successful in this delicate task, which the entire neighborhood watched with bated breath, is evidenced by the acclaim he has since received. Today, his three boldly contemporary houses and the two Greek Revivals they juxtapose, constitute a harmonious integrated row in which we all take great pride.”

Historical Photos of the Merz Residence at 48 Willow Place

Photos provided by the Merz family

The Proposed Roof Top Addition to the Merz Residence

The following images are taken from the architect’s proposal for the rooftop addition submitted to the Landmarks Preservation Commission:

Proposed Front Elevation at Willow Street

Proposed Side Elevation at State Street

Proposed Roof Plan

Proposed Section showing new guardrail

The Paul Rudolph Institute submitted the following letter to the LPC regarding the application:

11/17/2025

Angie Master, Vice Chair
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
253 Broadway
11th Floor
New York, NY 10007

Email: testimony@lpc.nyc.gov

RE: LPC-26-04225 Certificate of Appropriateness for a Rooftop Addition at 48 Willow Place in Brooklyn, New York


Dear Vice Chair Master,

On behalf of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) I am writing to express our strong opposition to the proposed rooftop addition at 48 Willow Place in Brooklyn, New York.

The property, known as the Joseph and Mary Merz Residence, is located in the Willowtown section of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Designed in 1965 - the same year the community became New York City’s first historic district - the home is one of three properties on Willow Place designed by the noted couple who were fixtures in the New York design community and fought to get the community designated.

The exterior composition is influenced by Louis Kahn’s Esherick House in Philadelphia and reflects the couple’s ideas about modern architecture and how to gracefully handle light and privacy in a modern home. It is also significant as one of the few single-family structures from the era in Brooklyn.

Our objections are based on the following concerns:

1.     The proposed addition will be visible from the right-of-way in the landmarked Brooklyn Heights Historic District which is a violation of Section 2-15 of Title 63 of the Rules of the City of New York. The top of the proposed addition is 7’-7” above the existing parapet and is well above the definition of “minimally visible” which is no more than 12” in height if the addition is less than 60 feet above the ground. Because the site is located on a corner lot with two primary facades, the proposed addition is not only visible from across the street on Willow Place, but also from across the street on State Street.

2.     The materials of the proposed addition - weathered steel with a galvanized steel guardrail infilled with a galvanized steel grid mesh - are not in keeping with the materials of the existing façade. These elements, especially the galvanized steel guardrail, will be mounted directly against the parapet on State Street and visible from the street. The Merz’s use of wood and concrete block echo Louis Kahn’s sensitive use of materials at the Esherick House which is missing from the design of the proposed addition.

3.     The reference by the proposal’s architect to the addition as a ‘widow’s walk’ is not appropriate in the context of the existing design. While found on many 19th-century North American homes along the coast, the reference is incongruent with the existing façade. The original cornice is meant to be a modern interpretation of the adjacent historical precedent at 46 Willow Place. In fact, both 48 and 44 Willow Place - both designed by the Merzs - bookend the simple 1840’s Greek Revival design at 46 Willow Place. The proposed addition will ruin the symmetry of the existing street façade.

4.     The proposed addition will alter the historic character of surrounding Willowtown. The scale of the existing building is meant to resemble the two-story homes found on either side of the street with accentuated cornices and pitched roofs which are invisible from the street. The design of the proposed rooftop addition is out of character to the building and threatens the established low-rise streetscape and historic fabric of the community.

For these reasons, we respectfully urge the Commission to consider the property's architectural value and deny the application for this rooftop addition. Preserving the integrity of the Willowtown neighborhood and adhering to established regulations is essential. The fact that the commission rejected a similar application at 40 Willow Place - also designed by the Merzes - until it met the definition of ‘minimally visible’ should guide the commission’s decision in this case.

We therefore ask that the Landmarks Preservation Commission deny the application to construct the rooftop addition so that the original design may be preserved and protected in perpetuity.

Thank you on behalf of the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture for all your support of landmark preservation in New York City.

Sincerely,

Kelvin Dickinson
President
Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture

A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture is also asking preservation advocates to reach out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and request the Landmarks Preservation Commission DENY this application.

UPDATE: We received word that the application before LPC was pulled by the homeowner due to the response it has received. We are keeping an eye on the LPC and will testify at the public hearing if the application is resubmitted.


The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed addition on Tuesday, November 25th, 2025, at 9:30 A.M. EST

Read the notice here

The public is invited to attend this hearing to present information or testimony relating to the proposed designation. The time allotted for each speaker is three minutes. An overflow room is located outside of the primary doors of the public hearing room.

WHERE:
LPC Public Hearing Room
253 Broadway - 2nd Floor
New York, NY  10007

WHEN:
Tuesday, November 25th, 2025
9:30 AM EST

Please bring a state-issued ID to enter the building if you plan to attend the hearing.

If you wish to provide testimony related to the proposed designation, you are encouraged to sign up on the hearings page in advance of the public hearing and you may provide written testimony by emailing testimony@lpc.nyc.gov.

Participation through the video conferencing application Zoom is also available. Please check the hearing page on LPC’s website (https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/hearings/hearings.page) for updated hearing information and guidance. The public hearing agenda will also be posted on LPC’s website.

Members of the public not attending in person can observe the meeting on LPC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/nyclpc and may testify on particular matters by joining the meeting using either the Zoom app or by calling in from any phone. Specific instructions on how to observe and testify, including the meeting ID and password, and the call-in number, will be posted on the agency’s website, on the Monday before the public hearing.

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture is also asking preservation advocates to reach out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and request the Landmarks Preservation Commission DENY this application.

Written testimony is accepted until 12 noon on Monday November 24th, but we strongly recommend submitting by 5 pm on the Friday before the public hearing. Testimony received by 5 pm on Friday is made available to the Commissioners for review over the weekend; testimony received by 12 noon on Monday is made available that day.

Please take the time to send an email to testimony@lpc.nyc.gov. If you send a letter, please copy the letter to our email at office@paulrudolph.institute and merzarchitects@gmail.com

You can also mail copies to our office at the following address:

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
246 East 58th Street New York, NY 10022

Please also sign a petition to stop the addition here.

Thank you for your support of preserving our modern architectural heritage!

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces Partnership with the Andrew Geller Estate to Digitize His Architectural Archive

Andrew Geller, in a 1964 head shot for the New York Times announcement of his promotion to Vice President in the architecture department of Raymond Loewy/William Snaith, Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
08/09/2025

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces Partnership with the Andrew Geller Estate to Digitize His Architectural Archive

Complete Collection of Architectural Drawings, Models and Photographs to be Digitized and Made Accessible to the Public

NEW YORK, NY (August 09, 2025) – The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) today announced a partnership with Mainspring Archive and the Estate of Andrew Geller to digitize, index and publish the architect’s archive, most of which is unavailable online.

“As stewards of modern architectural heritage, the Paul Rudolph Institute is committed to documenting and preserving the creative legacies of visionaries like Andrew Geller,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “By safeguarding these archives, we ensure that future generations of architects, scholars, and the public can discover, study, and be inspired by the innovative spirit and enduring relevance of his architecture.”

Materials to be digitized include original and copies of drawings, blueprints, renderings and other material of or related to architectural projects that Andrew Geller created during his lifetime; Photographs of sites, construction and finished architectural projects; and physical items including presentation and study models. The scope and depth of these records reflect the richness and diversity of Geller’s fifty year career and features over 90 built and unbuilt projects.

Geller’s grandson Jake Gorst stated, “We’re truly honored to entrust the Paul Rudolph Institute with the care of Andrew Geller’s archival materials. Their commitment to preserving architectural history is unmatched, and their tireless efforts to raise public awareness around important 20th-century architecture and design align beautifully with our mission. It means a great deal to know that my grandfather’s legacy will be in such capable and passionate hands.”

The agreement also appoints the Paul Rudolph Institute as worldwide representative for the Estate of Andrew Geller with regard to licensing of the intellectual property rights of the Works of Andrew Geller.

Thank you to Mark Davis and William Kopelk for the generous donation to make this transfer possible!

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads (@PaulRudolphInst), Twitter (@PaulRudolphInst), Facebook (@PaulRudolphInst) and Instagram (@PaulRudolphInst).

About the Mainspring Archive and the Estate of Andrew Geller

Mainspring Narrative Films is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces educational documentaries exploring art, architecture, and cultural history. Through extensive research, the organization uncovers and shares rarely seen archival imagery and documentation that deepen our understanding of the modern world.

Its archival division, Mainspring Archive, preserves historical materials gathered over two decades of filmmaking by Jake and Tracey Gorst. Among its most important holdings is the Andrew Geller Estate (drawings, photographs, correspondence, and models) administered by Geller’s grandson, Jake Gorst, who has long championed his grandfather’s legacy while safeguarding the interests of the Geller family.

Media Contact:

Kelvin Dickinson
kelvin.dickinson@paulrudolph.institute
(212) 404-5922
www.paulrudolph.institute

Download a copy of the press release here.

,

Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture adds two new members to its Board of Directors

,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
07/02/2025

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces Susan Grant Lewin and Hari Priya Rangarajan as New Board Members

Both Share a Dedication to Design and Culture

NEW YORK, NY (July 10, 2024) –The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) announced the appointment of Susan Grant Lewin and Hari Priya Rangarajan to the Board of Directors. This brings the number of board members to eight.

Susan Grant Lewin’s longstanding commitment to design and innovation extends beyond collecting. She was architecture and design editor at both HFN, Fairchild Publications and House Beautiful Magazine, each for 12 years. In the 1980s, she joined Formica Corporation as Creative Director, originally to promote Colorcore, a new material specifically aimed at architects. She created Surface & Ornament, an exhibition that displayed  both the winners of a design competition and the conceptual objects of a group of invited entrants, most notably the Colorcore fish by Frank Gehry. She subsequently started her own marketing and PR firm Susan Grant Lewin Associates, representing clients like Design Miami and Dyson. Lewin is also known as a prominent collector of contemporary art jewelry. She has had exhibitions and donated important works to Yale University Art Gallery, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Museum, Lowe Museum of the University of Miami and SCAD Museum of Art at the Savannah School of Art and Design.

She is joined by Hari Priya Rangarajan, who graduated from Columbia Graduate school of Architecture, Planning and Preservation in 2008 with an undergraduate degree in Architecture from RVCE in Bangalore. Her experience includes being a project manager at The Frick Collection, Frick Madison as well as the design and construction for MIT Museum. She is a passionate advocate for cultural institutions, with a deep interest in how art, history, and design shape public experience.

“Susan Grant Lewin’s dedication to promoting good design and Hari Priya Rangarajan’s experience with preserving cultural institutions will be important assets to the Institute,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA. “Together, they will shape our mission to preserve and promote our modernist heritage.”                 

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads (@PaulRudolphInst), Twitter (@PaulRudolphInst), Facebook (@PaulRudolphInst) and Instagram (@PaulRudolphInst).

Media Contact:

Kelvin Dickinson
kelvin.dickinson@paulrudolph.institute
(212) 404-5922
www.paulrudolph.institute

,

Modulightor's Rudolph-designed Duplex Apartment is Made an Interior Landmark

,

The lobby of the Woolworth Building by Cass Gilbert; the 1927 rotunda of New York County Courthouse by Guy Lowell; the lobby of the 1899 former New York Life Insurance building by Stephen Decatur Hatch and McKim, Mead & White; the banking room of the 1895 Bowery Savings Bank also by McKim, Mead & White; the 1931 lobby of the Empire State Building by Shreve, Lamb & Hardon; the 1983 Ambassador Grille by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates; the first and second floors of the 1954 Manufacturers Trust Company Building by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Gordon Bunshaft; the main concourse of the 1913 Grand Central Terminal by Reed & Stem with Warren & Wetmore and William Wilgus; the main reading room of the 1911 New York Public Library by Carrère & Hastings; the auditorium of the 1932 Radio City Music Hall by The Associated Architects.

There were 123 interior landmarks in New York City until yesterday.

We are happy to report that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to make the Rudolph-designed Duplex Apartment at the Modulightor Building a New York City interior landmark at this week’s meeting on May 6th. It is the only interior designed by Rudolph to be landmarked. The building exterior was landmarked on December 19, 2023 and joined Rudolph’s other landmarked buildings, his 23 Beekman Place residence and the Hirsch (Halston) Residence at 101 East 63rd Street.

The designation was added to the commission’s calendar on December 10, 2024. At the public hearing on February 25, 2025 four people testified in support of designation including the Paul Rudolph Institute, Docomomo US, Historic Districts Council and the New York Landmarks Conservancy. No one spoke in opposition. In addition, the commission received 10 written submissions in support of designation.

“If you look at this work, the care to the human scale and detail is evident. I would make the parallel to our landmark buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. The craft, detail, and care are something we appreciate,” LPC Commissioner Stephen Chu said.

Commission Chair Sarah Carroll concluded with, “this is our 124th interior landmark and joins the collection of our very special interiors that are publicly accessible and by virtue of their volumes, space and attention to detail and finishes and fixtures merit this important status. We are delighted this is our newest interior landmark.”

“We are thrilled to support the interior landmark designation of the Paul Rudolph-designed Modulightor Building,” Liz Waytkus, executive director of Docomomo US, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving modern architecture and design, said.

“We are enthusiastic for this designation not only for its spatially rich and light-filled Modern design but also because of the intimacy of the space and how Rudolph’s hand and belongings can be found nearly at every turn.”

Thank you to everyone who supported our designation! We look forward to continuing to open the space for our regular open house events and for private tours.

U.S. Government Plans Mass Sell-off of Government Owned Historic Buildings

The Hannibal Federal Building in Hannibal, Missouri is one of the buildings proposed to be sold by the U.S. government to private developers.

As reported in the New York Times and the Washington Post and many other news organizations, the Trump administration plans to sell hundreds of federal buildings - many of which are historic properties.

A list of 440 properties - which can be downloaded from our site - includes many well known historic classical and modern buildings. A historic bus station civil rights museum; a controversial office building we’ve written about before; the Headquarters of the American Red Cross; the IRS Customer Service Building in Atlanta, Georgia; a Federal building by Mies van der Rohe in Chicago; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Satellite Operations Center by Morphosis; the Headquarters of the U.S. Census Bureau; and those of Health & Human Services and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (both since ‘scrubbed’ from a revised list).

According to the New York Times:

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it could sell hundreds of federal properties around the country, including offices for the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

Officials at the General Services Administration, an agency that manages the federal government’s real estate portfolio, originally said they had identified more than 440 properties that they could “dispose of” in an effort to ensure that “taxpayers no longer pay for empty and underutilized federal office space.”

By Tuesday evening, however, the list of buildings deemed “not core to government operations” had been trimmed to 320 properties, removing a number of high-profile buildings, many of them in Washington, D.C.

What is not clear, despite the GSA’s declaration that “selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions,” is what will happen to the government agencies that currently occupy these buildings.

For example, a courthouse annex to the Ketchikan Federal Building in Anchorage, Alaska is home to the Anchorage office of the Social Security Administration. Will the office stay and lease from a new owner? Will the office close and the site be redeveloped? Where would local citizens go if they don’t get their social security check?

A Rudolph example

The idea of selling government property to save money is not a new idea. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker tried to sell Paul Rudolph’s Boston Government Service Center to private developers back in 2019. We wrote about it here, with updates here, here, here, here and here. A response from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and poorly received renderings following a design competition stalled the effort. Ultimately, the size of the property and its historic nature led it to outlast the Baker administration. This one example, multiplied by several hundred, leads to skepticism about how easy it will be to sell off these buildings by the GSA. What is almost certain, is that any effort will take longer than the current administration has left in office.

A rendering of the proposed redevelopment of Rudolph’s Boston Government Service Center by NBBJ

That said, according to the Alabama Public Radio:

Eliminating federal office space has been a top priority of the new administration. Last month, GSA regional managers received a message from the agency’s Washington headquarters ordering them to begin terminating leases on all of the roughly 7,500 federal offices nationwide.

In a follow-up meeting, GSA regional managers were told that their goal is to terminate as many as 300 leases per day, according to the employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

While some of the buildings are in Washington D.C., most are located across the United States. Some examples of what could be sold to private developers include:

Classical Buildings

Modern Buildings

Selling off federal properties is an idea championed by billionaire and senior White House advisor Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency, which has worked aggressively to cut federal spending and terminate federal workers.

Most of the buildings proposed for sale are historic properties on the National Register. Judging from the images above, the sale of these landmark properties all at once in a current real estate market with little demand for office space may leave most looking for a new owner for a long time.

And given the historic nature of many of them, fans of both modern and classical architecture would do well to watch closely to ensure these properties - if sold - find an owner who cares about them. Or, like Rudolph’s Boston Government Center, they can hold out until a new administration.

,

The Modulightor Lighting Company is gifted to the Paul Rudolph Institute, Announces New Directors

,

Paul Rudolph’s original rendering of the front of the Modulightor showroom in the Modulightor building

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
01/17/2025

The Modulightor Lighting Company Is gifted to the Paul Rudolph Institute, Announces New Directors

New Directors Continue Paul Rudolph’s Vision to create Situation-specific Custom Lighting Using his Original Designs

NEW YORK, NY (January 17, 2025) –The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) announced it was gifted the Modulightor Lighting Company following the death of its owner, Ernst Wagner, this past December. The Modulightor building, the company’s headquarters, was gifted to the Institute in 2023 while Mr. Wagner was still living.

Ever since it was founded in 1976 by legendary Modernist architect Paul Rudolph, the Modulightor lighting company has been at the center of lighting technology and design across New York City and the world.

The Board of the Institute announced the appointment of current board members Kelvin Dickinson and Santo Pusateri as Directors of Modulightor, along with Julian Aleksandres, who was Modulightor’s showroom manager from 2005 until 2014.

Kelvin Dickinson

Santo Pusateri

Julien Aleksandres

“The Paul Rudolph Institute educates the public about Mr. Rudolph’s interest in lighting and modularity using the fixtures he designed for Modulightor as real world examples,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “We worked closely with Ernst, who also founded the Paul Rudolph Institute, on this effort. We’re grateful to have the opportunity to show that Rudolph’s original vision continues to inspire architects and designers.”

About the Modulightor Lighting Company

Paul Rudolph saw a need for situation-specific lighting — something that was not addressed by the lighting industry available at the time — and his insights led the way to creating lighting solutions that continue to be unique in the industry. The conceptual framework for Modulightor was informed by Le Corbusier’s landmark 1950 book, Le Modulor, which proposed a sequence of measurements to achieve architectural harmony. Over the years, Rudolph and Wagner translated and engineered Le Corbusier’s ideas on modularity into an erector-set-like concept for lighting.

With Rudolph lending a guiding hand, Wagner developed a system of modular parts that can be combined into a seemingly endless array of fixtures. Modulightor’s standard parts, luminaires and bulbs can be joined and grouped so that the form, function, proportions, dimensions and finishes of each light perfectly satisfy the designer’s vision and client’s needs.

For nearly 50 years, Modulightor’s modular, scalable, and adaptable lighting systems — all based on Rudolph’s original designs and observations on light and its relationship to space, form and surface – have been available in a range of extrusion-based fixtures.

All of the lighting designed by Modulightor is manufactured onsite in the landmark Modulightor Building in New York City, making it one of the last lighting companies left in the city to still do so.

For more information about the Modulightor lighting company, visit www.modulightor.com and find them as @modulightor on Facebook and Instagram.

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them as @PaulRudolphInst on Bluesky, Threads, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact:

Santo Pusateri
office@paulrudolph.institute
(212) 404-5922
www.paulrudolph.institute

Download the press release here.

Remembering Ernst Wagner (1943-2024)

Ernst in 2005.

Ernst Wagner, founder and former President of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, passed away on Monday, December 23, from complications following a stroke. He was 81 years old.

A young Ernst

Ernst Peter Wagner Jr. was born in Liestal, Switzerland on May 26, 1943, the son of Ernst Wagner Sr. and Claire Guggenheim. He grew up in nearby Wenslingen in a house that belonged to the Wagner family for several hundred years. Ernst attended preparatory school in the village of Schiers from 1950 until 1962 and then Teachers College in Basel from 1962 until 1964 graduating with a teaching diploma. From 1964 until 1968 he taught at a high school in Birsfelden, Switzerland.

In November of 1968 he enrolled at the University of Basel to study economics and marketing. Ernst was invited in the summer of 1970 by Swiss Air to travel as an exchange student to New York City, where he stayed in the dorms at Columbia University until returning to Switzerland that August. He graduated with a BA and MBA in 1974, his thesis on the topic of brand choice and brand loyalty.

In July of 1974 he moved from Wenslingen to New York City, where he lived for the rest of his life. He rented an apartment in the Upper East Side on East 81st street before moving to another on Central Park South in April 1975. In July of that year, he was employed at Phillip Brothers on Park Avenue as a trading trainee.

Ernst and Paul

Ernst met Paul Rudolph that year, and in October moved into Paul’s small rental apartment on the top floor of 23 Beekman Place. From that moment, Ernst’s life would be forever intertwined with Paul Rudolph and modern architecture.

Ernst joined Rudolph’s architectural office as a marketing and import purchasing manager in February 1976 just as the firm was developing a line of furniture, lighting fixtures, rugs and other interior accessories. This effort would ultimately lead Paul to create the Modulightor lighting company in August 1976 and make Ernst the company’s Director. Modulightor operated out of the model shop in Rudolph’s architectural office on 57th street until it relocated to SoHo in 1981.

Ernst’s relationship with Paul had a profound effect on Rudolph’s architectural career and legacy. In June 1976, Ernst received a call from the landlord of 23 Beekman Place saying she intended to sell the building. Paul, away on business, was convinced to buy the building after Ernst provided calculations showing how they could afford the $300,000 purchase. Rudolph later designed a quadruplex penthouse addition that became one of his most celebrated designs and a New York City landmark in 2010.

Ernst and Paul with their friend Emily Sherman and others at Beekman Place.

In 1988, the lease for Paul’s architectural office was up for renewal around the same time as Modulightor’s lease for its SoHo production space.  Ernst saw a ‘FOR SALE’ sign on the front of the existing building at 246 East 58th Street and suggested to Paul that the building could be purchased and developed as an investment given its proximity to both Rudolph’s office at 57th Street and their residence at 23 Beekman Place.

Recognizing the opportunity, Paul decided to design and construct a new building on the site as a home for Modulightor while his office occupied the floors above. He asked Ernst to collaborate with him on the project.  They agreed to jointly finance and own the building, and in February 1989 they purchased the property.

During his lifetime, Rudolph requested the residence at 23 Beekman Place become an architectural study and resource center for the design community of the New York metropolitan area. Inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House bequest, he planned to leave the penthouse where he and Ernst lived to the Library of Congress, who would maintain it along with his project archives while Ernst continued to live in it. In 1997, when Paul was sick and near the end of his life, he learned the Library of Congress did not wish to maintain the property. Ernst promised Paul that if the apartment could not be saved, he would turn the Modulightor building into the architectural center Paul had wanted. In response, Paul gave his half of the Modulightor building to Ernst and named him as beneficiary in his will.

In 2001, Ernst founded the Paul Rudolph Foundation to honor Paul’s legacy. After Paul’s death, Ernst moved into the duplex apartment at the top of the Modulightor building. He displayed items that he and Paul had collected over the years throughout the apartment and opened it to visitors. To raise money for the Paul Rudolph Foundation, Ernst rented the apartment out for private events. He also provided the organization office space and access to the apartment for educational and fundraising events.

Ernst talking about Rudolph’s design of the duplex apartment at Modulightor

The Paul Rudolph Foundation grew and in 2014 removed Ernst from the organization after a dispute over the group’s mission. Ernst evicted the Paul Rudolph Foundation from the Modulightor Building and the Paul Rudolph Estate severed all ties with them. Ernst, intent to keep his promise to Paul, created the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation with several of the original members of the Paul Rudolph Foundation. The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation later changed its name to The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture.

In 2010, Ernst self-financed a two story addition to Modulightor inspired by Paul’s original design. Paul had intended to duplicate the design of the third and fourth floor apartments, but Ernst left the floors open so the Institute could display an exhibit of Paul’s work to celebrate his birthday centennial. Ernst later allowed the floors to be used by the Institute to celebrate and educate the public about Paul’s work.

After suffering a stroke, Ernst moved out of the Modulightor building in September 2022. Following its landmark designation, he donated the building and the Modulightor lighting company to the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture in December 2023.

Members of the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture with Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of Docomomo US (2nd from right) following the public hearing in support of landmarking the Modulightor Building on in November 2023.

Ernst’s life was dedicated to sharing Paul Rudolph’s work with the public. Whether by designing bespoke light fixtures using Paul’s original specifications, or sitting in the living room at Modulightor sharing stories about his life with Paul, he was always happy to meet people and answer questions. He founded not one, but two organizations dedicated to promoting and preserving Paul’s legacy.

Ernst with his rabbit

Ernst loved rabbits, especially large white ones, which was ironic when Ernst played a video about Paul featuring Phillip Johnson calling Rudolph’s work a ‘three-dimensional rabbit warren.’ Ernst loved to show his rabbit - who went by several different names - to visitors who took as many pictures of it as they did the apartment. Ernst was also fond of cats and would talk about the cat he had shared with Paul at Beekman Place.

Ernst’s life revolved around architects and architecture. Through living with Paul, he saw and understood the importance of good design. While neither a scholar of architecture nor an architect himself, he knew many renowned architects and was quick to share stories about the legendary parties that he and Paul had held at Beekman Place.

A lack of architectural training led some in the profession and academia to dismiss Ernst. Some thought they knew better than Ernst how to protect and preserve Paul’s legacy. Ernst responded in a simple way: opening his home for tours and visitors. He believed being exposed to good design was the best teacher. In the end, Ernst let nothing deter him from keeping his promise to Paul.

Ernst attending the opening of the Paul Rudolph exhibit at the Met Museum in October 2024

Ernst leaves behind a legacy of devotion to Paul’s memory. His last words were “I want our project to continue” and we gave him our promise.

He will be missed and continue to inspire all of us who knew him.

Rudolph's Sanderling Beach Cabanas Destroyed

The Cabanas at the Sanderling Beach Club on February 28, 2019. Photo by Francis Dzikowski.

This morning we received a message from Max Strang - a local architect in Sarasota, Florida - that Paul Rudolph’s 1952 Sanderling Beach Club cabanas were completely destroyed overnight by Hurricane Helene.

This story is developing and we will share more details as they are received.

Photo: Max Strang

Photo: Max Strang

Photo: Max Strang

The structures were designed by Paul Rudolph from 1952-1953. More information about the project, including drawings and photos taken before the storm can be found on our project page here.

Sarasota has faced significant storms in the past, including Hurricane Ian exactly two years ago today. In 1966, the pavilion roof of Rudolph’s Umbrella Residence was blown off the house by winds from nearby Hurricane Alma. It was eventually rebuilt in 2011.

We wish everyone to stay safe and have spoken to friends at Architecture Sarasota who will be sharing news as more is learned about damage from the storm.

Some of Rudolph’s notable structures in the area threatened by Hurricane Helene are the following:

You can click through the images above to learn more about each project.

Circle, Square, Triangle: Two Exhibitions of the Work of Late Architect Myron Goldfinger Opening on September 19th and 20th, 2024

Myron Goldfinger. Photo © David Michael Kennedy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York (August 29, 2024) – Two concurrent exhibitions celebrating the work of the late architect Myron Goldfinger will open on September 19 and 20, 2024. Circle, Square, Triangle: Houses I Never Lived In. The Residential Work of Myron Goldfinger 1963-2008 at The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture (PRIMA) will be on view and Circle, Square, Triangle: A World I wanted to Live In. The Public and Unbuilt Work of Myron Goldfinger 1963-2008 will be shown at the Mitchell Algus Gallery.

The two interconnected exhibitions offer complementary studies of Goldfinger’s work, exploring his built residential projects and his unbuilt and community architecture. Both exhibitions consist of original material uncovered during the Paul Rudolph Institute’s process of archiving and indexing Goldfinger’s estate, much of which has never been seen.

The Myron and June Goldfinger Residence, designed by Myron Goldfinger in 1969 for Waccabuc, New York. This original drawing and others will be on view at the Paul Rudolph Institute. © The Estate of Myron Goldfinger.

At PRIMA, there will be multimedia studies outlining the designs for several houses, including contemporary and historical models, a range of original drawings, from conception to construction – either graphite on vellum or ink on mylar - and original photographic prints by Norman McGrath. Projects include the Goldfinger Residence in Waccabuc, New York designed in 1969; the Zack Residence in Sands Point, New York designed in 1977; and the 1975 design for Roberta Flack’s apartment at the Dakota building in New York City. The Mitchell Algus Gallery will explore unbuilt projects that Goldfinger designed including several for New York City, providing a local context for the exhibition. This includes a housing proposal for Roosevelt Island designed in 1975 and a proposal for the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza from 1970. Again, a collection of renderings and models outline the design process.

Roosevelt Island Housing Proposal, an unbuilt project designed by Myron Goldfinger in 1975 for New York City. © The Estate of Myron Goldfinger.

The curation of Circle, Square, Triangle sets out to demonstrate Goldfinger’s characteristic and distinctive approach to architecture, which is embedded in the title itself. The phrase “Circle, Square, Triangle” originates from Goldfinger’s own words—he considered these three basic shapes to be the heart of his design, shapes he would transform and assemble into dramatic volumes. His playfulness with geometry led to spectacular interior and exterior architectural features in his work, such as soaring ceilings and gravity-defying cantilevers. Goldfinger insisted that “the fashion of the moment is so temporary. Only the timeless basic geometry repeats in time”. His work was both deeply intuitive while also conveying a clarity of vision. With its clean lines and careful volumetric assemblage, it was honest and direct, described best by Goldfinger himself as ‘ordered simplicity’.

Born in 1933, Goldfinger grew up in Atlantic City. He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, under Louis Kahn and Paul Rudolph, who informed his approach to geometry, spatial hierarchy and material expression. Goldfinger worked for Karl Linn, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and Philip Johnson before establishing his own practice in 1966. That same year, he married interior designer June Matkovic, who designed the interiors for his buildings. Goldfinger also began teaching at the Pratt Institute from 1966 to 1976. He designed residences around the world, focusing particularly on the North-East, including Connecticut, Long Island, and New Jersey. These buildings reflect Goldfinger’s sustained interest in stark geometric forms juxtaposed with the exuberance of 1970s and 1980s interiors with oversized plants, expansive mirrored walls, textured carpeting and abstract art. In his monograph, Myron Goldfinger: Architect (1992), he wrote “I am always building the houses I never lived in as a boy.” Goldfinger was also interested in community architecture, as demonstrated in his first book, Villages in the Sun: Mediterranean Community Architecture (1969, reprinted 1993). Here, he voiced his belief that community architecture “is a place for human experience, a rich variety of forms and spaces in which to live, a structural framework which permits the expression of the individual, and the participation of all.”

“The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture’s collaboration with the Myron Goldfinger Estate began as an effort to digitize the archive of this important Modernist architect,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “This show is composed of a fraction of the incredible drawings produced during his lifetime. We hope the preservation of his built work is a direct result of a renewed appreciation brought about by showing it to the public.”

June Goldfinger, Myron’s wife, stated, “there is a joy in his work. The volumes Myron so intuitively created – with just a scribble of graphite on paper – complex, soaring, volumetric spaces with his command and love of the simplicity of juxtaposing geometric forms. He will always be remembered as a monumental Modernist. I worked with Myron on the interiors and was in awe of the beauty of the architecture. He designed a landscape for living, always letting the architecture dictate the interior solutions.”

Exhibition details for Circle, Square, Triangle: Houses I Never Lived In. The Residential Work of Myron Goldfinger 1963-2008

Opening reception: Thursday September 19, 2024, 5-8 PM

Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday: 1-4 PM, Thursday: 1-7 PM, Friday-Saturday: 1-4 PM; and by appointment other days/times.

Location: The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture, The Modulightor Building, 246 East 58th Street, New York, NY 10022. The exhibition space is elevator accessible.

Exhibition details for the Mitchell Algus Gallery Show: Circle, Square, Triangle: A World I wanted to Live In. The Public and Unbuilt Work of Myron Goldfinger 1963-2008

Opening reception: Friday September 20, 2024, 5-8 PM

Hours: Thursday-Saturday, 2-5 PM and by appointment

Location: The Mitchell Algus Gallery, 132 Delancey Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10002.

The exhibition space is not ADA accessible.

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public.

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads, TikTok, Twitter (X), Facebook and Instagram @PaulRudolphInst

About the Mitchell Algus Gallery

The Mitchell Algus Gallery was founded in 1992 on Thompson Street in SoHo by Mitchell Algus, a former public-school teacher who grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island. After gaining a reputation for exhibiting artwork by then little-known artists such as Lee Lozano, Barkley Hendricks and Judith Bernstein, he relocated to a new space off Delancey Street in the Lower East Side in 2010. Algus, who wants each show to feel like a discovery, is committed to showing work he considers neglected. During the pandemic Algus discovered the work of architect Myron Goldfinger following an interest in local overlooked post-war architecture.

# # #

Press Contact

Kate Robertson, Susan Grant Lewin Associates: kate@susangrantlewin.com

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces Partnership with the Myron Goldfinger Estate to Digitize His Architectural Archive

The late architect Myron Goldfinger, in an undated photograph digitized by the Paul Rudolph Institute in collaboration with the Myron Goldfinger Estate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
07/22/2024

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces Partnership with the Myron Goldfinger Estate to Digitize His Architectural Archive

Complete Collection of Drawings, Models and Photographs to be Digitized and Made Accessible to the Public

NEW YORK, NY (July 22, 2024) – The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) today announced a partnership with the Estate of Myron Goldfinger to digitize, index and publish the architect’s archive, most of which is unavailable online.

“The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture represents the Rudolph Estate. Part of our mission is to preserve, protect and share his legacy to ensure it continues,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “Our collaboration with the Goldfinger Estate is a great example of a partnership to promote an equally important architect’s legacy. By working together, we will digitize the archive and make it available to the public.”

Materials to be digitized include original and copies of drawings, blueprints, renderings and other material of or related to architectural projects that Myron Goldfinger created during his lifetime; Photographs of sites, construction and finished architectural projects; books by Myron Goldfinger such as his 1969 Villages in the Sun: Mediterranean Community Architecture including material both published and unpublished; and physical items including presentation and study models. The scope and depth of these records reflect the richness and diversity of Goldfinger’s fifty year career and features over 100 built and unbuilt projects.

Myron’s widow June Goldfinger stated, “archives are for future architects to study and learn from. Like Rudolph, Myron’s work was committed to honest geometry based upon his study of the past. Our collaboration to catalog his work will allow people to understand and be immersed in his architecture.”

The Paul Rudolph Institute intends to mount an exhibit of Goldfinger’s work later this year, featuring material shown before with newer items discovered during the processing of the archives.

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads (@PaulRudolphInst), Twitter (@PaulRudolphInst), Facebook (@PaulRudolphInst) and Instagram (@PaulRudolphInst).

Media Contact:

Kelvin Dickinson
kelvin.dickinson@paulrudolph.institute
(212) 404-5922
www.paulrudolph.institute

,

June Goldfinger Joins the Board of the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture

,

June Goldfinger with her husband, the late architect Myron Goldfinger, at Cove Castles, a resort they designed in Anguilla.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
07/10/2024

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announces June Goldfinger as New Board Member

June Goldfinger brings a passion to create and support the preservation of beautiful things to the Institute.

NEW YORK, NY (July 10, 2024) –The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (“PRIMA”) announced the appointment of June Goldfinger to the Board of Directors. This brings the number of board members to eight.

After studying at Parsons School of Design, June Goldfinger opened an architectural and interior design company in 1965 with her husband, the late architect Myron Goldfinger. He designed the exteriors, and she did the interiors and everything in them - from furniture and flatware to lighting and rugs. She later grew to become an international designer and manufacturer working in 17 different countries.

In 1992, Goldfinger opened the Katonah General Store (known as KGS) to showcase her designs including custom-made clothing, 18-karat gold jewelry, shoes and even eyeglasses of her own design. Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, and opera singer Jessye Norman were among her clients before she closed the atelier.

Following Myron’s death in 2023, June curated ‘Circle Square Triangle: The Architecture of Myron Goldfinger’ which is the first major exhibition of their collaborative work and includes original drawings and house models. She also wanted to find a place where she could continue to support and celebrate the importance of modernism.

June Goldfinger stated, “Myron had an understanding of architecture just as Paul Rudolph did. The two of them were very much alike, but their designs were unique based upon a vision that never wavered. Working with Myron was an incredible joy. He was so true to his principles and his love of geometry. Rudolph had a similar vision about the importance of architecture, and I’m truly committed to celebrating it through the Paul Rudolph Institute.”

“June is incredibly talented and a true believer in the power and beauty of modern design,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “She and Myron shared Rudolph’s belief that it should be promoted and preserved. We are honored to have her join us and look forward to collaborating with her.”                      

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating the public about modern architecture and the need to preserve it.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational programs, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute promotes the legacy of modernist architects in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads (@PaulRudolphInst), Twitter (@PaulRudolphInst), Facebook (@PaulRudolphInst) and Instagram (@PaulRudolphInst).

Media Contact:

Kelvin Dickinson
kelvin.dickinson@paulrudolph.institute
(212) 404-5922
www.paulrudolph.institute

Download the press release here.

Paul Rudolph's Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building landmark vote is TONIGHT at 6pm

Rudolph’s 1957 Blue Cross Blue Shield Building. Photo by Kelvin Dickinson

A vote to designate Paul Rudolph’s 1957 Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in Boston, Massachusetts as a local landmark will be held during tonight’s hearing of the Landmarks Commission. The hearing follows the release by the commission of a study report about the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building on November 20, 2023. The report was later amended and a copy can be found here.

The Commission will hold two votes: first, to accept amendments to the Study Report, followed by a final vote on the landmark designation.

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture and the Paul Rudolph Estate thank everyone who let the City of Boston know that Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building should be a landmark.

Here’s how to attend tonight’s hearing:

WHEN - TUESDAY, February 27 at 6:00 PM.
The Meeting will begin at 4:00pm, with the Blue Cross portion starting at 6pm.

WHERE - This hearing will be held virtually and not in person. To participate, please use one of the following:

Thank you for your support of preserving Paul Rudolph's legacy!

The Paul Rudolph Institute earns Platinum Seal of Transparency

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture is a Private Operating Foundation dedicated to financial transparency and since 2019 was awarded a Seal of Transparency from GuideStar, the world’s largest repository of trusted historical and present-day information on nonprofits, foundations, and the capital that funds them.

We're proud to say we've earned GuideStar's Highest Seal of Transparency for 2024.

The Platinum Seal of Transparency is the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar. By sharing metrics that highlight the progress we are making toward our mission, we're helping you, our donors, directly see the impact your donations are making to move our organization forward. 

By updating our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile to earn a Platinum Seal, we can now easily share up-to-date organizational metrics with you, as well as GuideStar's immense online audience, which includes donors, grantmakers, our peers, and the media.

To reach the Platinum level, we've added information to our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile: basic contact and organizational information; financial information; qualitative information about goals and strategies; and quantitative information about results and progress toward our mission. By providing this information, we have demonstrated our commitment to transparency and giving donors and funders meaningful data to evaluate our performance. 

The metrics we are reporting are a direct result of the generous funds donated to us. Without your support, our mission of promoting and preserving Paul Rudolph’s legacy would not be possible. We truly appreciate your continued support. To make a donation, please go here.

Visit our Nonprofit Profile on GuideStar to see why we earned this seal. To learn more, go to our organization profile here.

,

Modulightor is Made a Landmark and Gifted to the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture

,

Paul Rudolph & Ernst Wagner in 1975. Photo from the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture archives.

As the year draws to a close, we have two pieces of good news to share - and they both involve our headquarters: the Modulightor Building.

First, we are happy to report that the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to make the building a New York City landmark at this week’s hearing on December 19th. At the public hearing on November 28th, 2023 four people testified in support of designation and no one spoke in opposition. In addition, the commission received 30 written submissions in support of designation. The building now joins Rudolph’s 23 Beekman Place residence and the Hirsch (Halston) Residence at 101 East 63rd Street as New York City landmarks designed by the Mr. Rudolph.

The Commissioners had praise for Mr. Rudolph’s work. Vice Chair Frederick Bland said, “Rudolph was the reason I became and architect, so he’s an important guy for me. I think this is a great designation. Partly, because there are fewer and fewer Rudolph buildings around and he’s undeniably an important midcentury and later architect.”

Commissioner Jeanne Lufty noted Rudolph’s Modulightor was being reviewed by the Commission along with Ulrich Franzen’s 1957 Barkin, Levin & Company Office Pavilion. “Both of these projects are aberrations from their brutalist style and so they are a little more refined and they are definitely a little more expressive of what was going on at the particular time, and as Fred said we are so fortunate to sort of capture them and preserve them and recognize them and I am so happy to be part of that process,” she said.

“This is one of my favorite buildings,” said Commissioner Everardo Jefferson. “And the reason is, is the intricacy of it. And the exterior is so intricate and then you go inside and it becomes even more intricate. And you begin to wonder about the mind of this guy, how he was able to put these pieces together and move them around. Its just a marvelous experience.”

Commissioner Michael Goldblum said, “I was lucky enough to tour this building a few years ago and its really a marvel, not only because of its design - which is remarkable - but because of the integration of the architect’s own personality and history into every aspect of the building. Its his Taliesin in a way, he wanted it to kind of be this little idealized expression of his ideology and methodology built in a mid-block site of Manhattan of all places. And its really a remarkable site and the prospect that the interior could become designated as well is I think to be greatly anticipated. When you see work like this, its so mechanistic and designed - its rectilinear. His drawings are so crisp and sharp and then you go and you see how he did it. The technology was so loose and handmade and artisanal in a way. It kind of works against the design but it makes it more charming at the same time. It is really a fascinating building and greatly deserving of protection.”

“The architects have a lot to say about this one obviously,” said Commissioner Stephen Chu. “I’ve always loved his sensibility to human scale and if you look at this, essentially glass building, it has so much human scale to it. And you compare it to a lot of the developer buildings being done right now which are very flat. This doesn’t have a lot of depth though, yet that minimal depth is able to achieve shadow, light and human scale which is so wonderful.”

Commission Chair Sarah Carroll concluded with, “so I think we have a lot of support for this one… I think this would be a great addition to our very special New York City landmarks. And I want to thank the owners. We have been working with the Institute that runs the building and they have been very engaged and very supportive and we’ve had really wonderful exchanges and conversations about this during the calendaring. And we’re also talking about the interior which is not yet of age, but we’re talking to them and we’ll keep an eye on that until it does become eligible for consideration.”

Commissioner Chen moved to landmark the Modulightor building and was seconded by Commissioner Goldblum.

"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 in a follow-up press release by the Commission. "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."

After the decision, Ernst Wagner gave the following comment:

"During his lifetime, Rudolph wished our residence at 23 Beekman Place would become a study and resource center for the architectural community. 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 landmarking of the Modulightor building resulted in the second piece of good news to end the year: the Modulightor building was gifted to the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture by Ernst Wagner.

As referenced in his above comment, Ernst founded the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture to keep his promise to Paul Rudolph that a study center would be created to share Rudolph’s ideas about architecture with the public.

We are profoundly grateful to Mr. Wagner for his continuous support of our mission to protect Mr. Rudolph’s legacy and promote his ideas about modern architecture. His gift allows the Institute to ensure the Modulightor building remains a publicly accessible, living example of Mr. Rudolph’s work and ideas.

We’ve got more planned for the coming year, and thank you to Ernst, the team at the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and all of you for making this year especially notable!

Rudolph's Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building gets support at Boston's Landmark Commission

Paul Rudolph with a model of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in Boston.

A proposal to landmark Paul Rudolph’s 1957 Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in Boston, Massachusetts was discussed at a public hearing of the Landmarks Commission Tuesday night. The hearing follows the release by the commission of a study report about the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building on November 20, 2023.

After reading the proposal’s recommendation for landmarking, the commission jumped right into public comments. Acknowledging there was no attendance by elected officials, members of the Boston Planning & Development Agency or the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the property owner was first to speak.

The owner was represented by Steve Belkin, founder of Trans National Group, and Paul Malnati, Senior Vice President of Real Estate. Mr. Malnati has been involved since the original 2006 RFP for ‘Trans National Place’ designed by Renzo Piano, which had proposed to demolish Rudolph’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield building. They were joined by attorney Matthew Kiefer from Goulston & Storrs and CBT (Childs Bertman Tseckares) as architectural consultant.

The owner said they looked at several options to make Rudolph’s building ‘economically viable’ including adding additional stories, building an addition in the adjacent public plaza, and converting the building from office space to residential apartments. They did not state an objection to the proposed designation.

Speaking in favor of landmarking the building was Tim Rohan, an architectural historian from UMass Amherst who has written extensively about Rudolph and the building; Kelvin Dickinson, President of the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture; and Carter Jackson, a PhD candidate in architectural history at Boston University who wrote a HABS report on Rudolph’s nearby Boston Government Services Center.

“I think the building is idiosyncratic as much of Rudolph’s architecture is,” said Rohan, who also noted a descendent of the building’s iconic design is the Pompidou Center by Richard Rogers, who studied under Rudolph. “I think the public and citizens of Boston will not be served by a larger building on this site so I’m happy that Trans National is considering preserving it.”

Kelvin Dickinson said, “We urge the Commission to consider this historic property's architectural value and its special position as one of only three structures designed by Paul Rudolph in Boston. We therefore ask that the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building be designated a landmark so that it may be preserved for future generations to learn from and experience.”

Carter Jackson said, “I second the last two speakers. I believe the building is very worthy of the landmark designation. I would also add that Boston was supposed to have two tall buildings by Paul Rudolph. The second one was the tower meant for the center of the Boston Government Services Center. It was supposed to be 25 plus stories, it ended up not being built and I think it really hurt that complex. Its made it seem quite incomplete and desolate. So I think it would be a real shame to lose this one.”

The commission then noted:

We did have quite a few people submit in favor of the study report and in favor of moving forward with designation of this as a Boston landmark. We received feedback from as far away as San Juan, Puerto Rico, and New Orleans as well as from other professors of art and architectural history from Boston College and Wellesley University as well as the author of “Paul Rudolph: The Late Work”.

The commission said submitted commentary would be available to commissioners and that all were in favor of the study report and moving forward with designation. No one spoke in opposition of the report.

Commissioner John Amodeo said, “given we’ve lost access to two facades (by construction of the adjacent Trans National Place) we’d want to protect the remaining facades and the vulnerable façade would be the façade facing the plaza that could in fact contain a building if the plaza is not identified as a character-defining resource.” He recommended including the plaza as part of the protected site.

Next steps include accepting written statements up to 3 work days after the public hearing. Given the interest in the building’s status, the commission decided to extend the period for written testimony until December 27th.

When the submission period ends, the hearing will be closed and any amendments to the study report will be drafted by staff. The commission will then meet and review the final study report and vote on accepting it and designating the building. The amended report and the date of the next hearing will be posted online. We will continue to follow this effort and let everyone know what needs to be done in the future.

Finally, the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture and the Paul Rudolph Estate urge everyone who hasn’t already done so, to please let the City of Boston know that Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building should be a landmark!

Please WRITE AN EMAIL OR LETTER urging the Landmarks Commission to designate Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Building as a local landmark to blc@boston.gov.

Thank you for your support of preserving Paul Rudolph's legacy!

Help Make Paul Rudolph's Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building a Boston Landmark

Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in Boston after completion. Photo by Joseph Molitor.

Paul Rudolph’s 1957 Blue Cross Blue Shield Building in Boston, Massachusetts will be considered for local landmark designation during an upcoming public hearing of the Landmarks Commission. The hearing follows the release by the commission of a study report about the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building on November 20, 2023.

The report describes the building’s historical and architectural significance with the following:

The building at 133 Federal Street, colloquially known as the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building, is significant for its associations with the urban renewal movement that took place in Boston’s core downtown area in the 1950s and 1960s. It was the first new building to be erected in the Central Business District since the 1920s, and was one of the earliest buildings erected in Boston in the Brutalist style. It is one of three buildings in Boston designed by Paul Rudolph, and it is especially notable as his first tall building and an early prototype of the idiosyncratic design philosophies that would then influence the remainder of his impactful career. Its distinctive form with Y-shaped, precast-concrete piers and columns, large white quartz aggregate, and an innovative engineering and HVAC system hidden within the nonstructural columns were all a direct challenge to the glass curtain wall, and pushed the boundaries of contemporary architectural discourse. The building contributes to Boston’s collection of Brutalist architecture which transformed the city in the 1960s and 1970s, and represents the resulting shift in the design idiom of Boston and the United States from the International style to postmodernism. 

The recent threats to Rudolph’s diminishing body of work, combined with the 2009 Boston Landmarks Commission’s survey update of cultural and architectural resources in Boston’s Central Business District which determined that the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, inspired the petition for designation. 

This study report contains Standards and Criteria which have been prepared to guide future physical changes to the property in order to protect its integrity and character.

The report concludes with the following recommendations:

  1. That the exterior of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building at 133 Federal Street be designated

    by the Boston Landmarks Commission as a Landmark, under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975,

    as amended (see Section 3.4 of this report for Relationship to Criteria for Designation);

  2. That the boundaries corresponding to Assessor’s parcel #0304206000 be adopted without

    modification;

  3. And that the Standards and Criteria recommended by the staff of the Boston Landmarks

    Commission be accepted.

The study report will be discussed at a public hearing on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 4 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend this hearing and provide comments.

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture and the Paul Rudolph Estate urge everyone to please let the City of Boston know that Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building should be a landmark!

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

FIRST - READ the study report prepared by the Landmarks Commission. It documents the history of the building and its significance. It also details the options available to the Commission and the standards used to maintain the building once it is landmarked. You can download a copy of the report HERE.

SECOND - Please LEAVE FEEDBACK about the report on the Landmark Commission’s website. Comments can be anonymous and the city does take notice of the number of comments ‘for’ and ‘against’ the report. We left the following comment, for example: “This report is an excellent and thorough justification for the need to landmark Paul Rudolph's Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building. The architectural and historical significance well presented in the report demonstrate the urgent need for the building to be designated a historic landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission.” Comments can even be something as simple as “I love this building - please protect it!” You can leave a comment about the report HERE.

THIRD - Please WRITE AN EMAIL OR LETTER urging the Landmarks Commission to designate Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Building as a local landmark to blc@boston.gov.

A sample letter is below. If you send a letter or email, please copy it to our email at office@paulrudolph.institute. You can also mail copies to our office at the following address:

The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture
246 East 58th Street New York, NY 10022

SAMPLE LETTER

Brad Walker, Chair

Boston Landmarks Commission
20 City Hall Avenue
3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02108
Email: blc@boston.gov

Re: Landmark Designation of Paul Rudolph's Blue Cross - Blue Shield Building

Dear Chair Walker,

I write to you to support the landmark designation of Paul Rudolph’s Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building at 133 Federal Street in the Central Business District of Boston. 

One of the first examples of the Brutalist style constructed in Boston, this property reflects Rudolph's ideas about modernism and his response to the increasing use of the glass curtain wall in modern architecture at the time.

I urge the Commission to consider this historic property's architectural value and its special position as one of only three structures designed by Paul Rudolph in the City of Boston. 

I therefore ask that the Blue Cross-Blue Shield Building be designated a landmark so that it may be preserved and protected in perpetuity.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your support of landmark preservation in Boston.

Sincerely,
Name
Address

FINALLY - PLEASE attend the online public hearing. Here’s how to attend:

WHEN - TUESDAY, December 12th at 4:00 PM.
The Meeting will begin at 4:00pm, with public testimony expected to begin at 5:00pm. Please make sure you join before 5:00pm!

WHERE - This hearing will be held virtually and not in person. To participate, please use one of the following:

Thank you for your support of preserving Paul Rudolph's legacy!

,

Thank you for supporting us at NYC's Landmark Preservation Commission

,

Members of the Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture with Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of Docomomo US (2nd from right) following the public hearing in support of landmarking Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building

Thank you to everyone who attended in person, spoke via zoom, and submitted letters of support at yesterday’s public hearing of New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

There was broad support for designating our headquarters - Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building - as a New York City landmark. Once approved, the building will become the youngest landmark in New York City!

The proposal received 28 letters of support by the time of the hearing (and we’ve received more since!)

Several former Rudolph clients and current property owners were joined by organizations such as the Historic Districts Council, New York Landmarks Conservancy, DocomomoUS and its local New York/Tristate Chapter, Iconic Houses, the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design, US Modernist, the NY Center For Architecture, the Museum of Modern Art and the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project in sending letters in support of the designation. Former Rudolph students, employees and fans from around the United States and the world also wrote the commission urging it to make Modulightor a landmark.

Thank you to everyone for your support in our effort to landmark our building! We are especially thankful for the people who mentioned the need to landmark the Rudolph-designed interior duplex apartment when it is eligible.

Ernst Wagner - representing Paul Rudolph’s Estate - was at the hearing in person and said later ‘Paul was looking down and is pleased.’

We’ve got a lot planned for the coming year, and thanks to everyone for making this year especially memorable!

,

NYC's Landmark Preservation Commission to vote on landmarking Rudolph's Modulightor Building

,

Following a unanimous vote to calendar Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building as a potential New York City landmark, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed designation of the Modulightor Building as a New York City individual landmark on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 9:30 A.M.

The public is invited to attend this hearing to present information or testimony relating to the proposed designation. The time allotted for each speaker is three minutes.

The public hearing will be held in the public hearing room at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor, Borough of Manhattan.

Participation through the video conferencing application Zoom is also available. Please check the hearing page on LPC’s website (https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/hearings/hearings.page) for updated hearing information and guidance. Public notice of the hearing identifying the proposed individual landmark will appear in the City Record of November 13, 2023, until November 27, 2023. The public hearing agenda will also be posted on LPC’s website.

If you wish to provide testimony related to the proposed designation, you are encouraged to sign up on the hearings page in advance of the public hearing and you may provide written testimony by emailing testimony@lpc.nyc.gov.

Participation by videoconference may be available as well. Please check the hearing page on LPC’s website (https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/hearings/hearings.page) for updated hearing information.

The final order and estimated times for each application will be posted on the Landmarks Preservation Commission website the Friday before the hearing. Please note that the order and estimated times are subject to change. An overflow room is located outside of the primary doors of the public hearing room.

Members of the public not attending in person can observe the meeting on LPC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/nyclpc and may testify on particular matters by joining the meeting using either the Zoom app or by calling in from any phone. Specific instructions on how to observe and testify, including the meeting ID and password, and the call-in number, will be posted on the agency’s website, on the Monday before the public hearing.

,

New York City's Landmark Preservation Commission to consider landmarking Rudolph's Modulightor Building

,

In 2019 The Paul Rudolph Estate and the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (PRIMA, then known as the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation) filed a Request For Evaluation of Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor building as a New York City landmark with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is responsible for identifying and designating the special buildings and sites that represent the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of New York City. The Commission’s Research Department accepts suggestions from the public regarding potential historic resources throughout the five boroughs. If a property appears to rise to the level of significance necessary to be considered for Landmark designation, the agency may conduct additional research, and may recommend it for consideration by the Commission.

Following subsequent conversations with PRIMA about the Commission’s interest in considering the Modulightor Building as a potential New York City landmark, the Commission plans to move forward in the designation process by holding a vote on October 3rd, 2023 to decide whether to calendar the building for a future public hearing.

Calendaring is the first formal step in the process for considering a building for designation. If the site is calendared, a public hearing will be scheduled so that all interested parties, including property owners and their representatives, relevant community boards, elected officials, community groups and members of the public can testify or submit written testimony regarding the proposed designation.

“The Modulightor Building’s remarkable front and rear elevations are composed of intersecting and overlapping horizontal and vertical rectangles of varying projection and size. Painted white, the steel I-beams form jigsaw-like screens that recall the De Stijl movement, Russian Constructivism, and Mies van der Rohe, as well a Rudolph’s celebrated Milam Residence of 1959-1961.”
— "The Modulightor Building" brief prepared by the Research Department of the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

You can download a copy of the LPC calendar showing the Modulightor Building as item #2 on the agenda here.
 
Here’s how to attend the meeting:

WHEN
TUESDAY, October 3rd at 9:30 AM

WHERE
The public hearing room at 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor, in the Borough of Manhattan.

Participation by videoconference may be available as well. Please check the hearing page on LPC’s website (https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/hearings/hearings.page) for updated hearing information.

The final order and estimated times for each application will be posted on the Landmarks Preservation Commission website the Friday before the hearing. Please note that the order and estimated times are subject to change. An overflow room is located outside of the primary doors of the public hearing room.

Members of the public not attending in person can observe the meeting on LPC’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/nyclpc and may testify on particular matters by joining the meeting using either the Zoom app or by calling in from any phone. Specific instructions on how to observe and testify, including the meeting ID and password, and the call-in number, will be posted on the agency’s website, on the Monday before the public hearing.

The Paul Rudolph Estate And The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture Announce Settlement With The Paul Rudolph Foundation

NEW YORK, NY (July 21, 2023) –The Paul Rudolph Estate and The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture (”PRIMA”) today announced a settlement with the Paul Rudolph Foundation.

In 2020, the Paul Rudolph Foundation brought an action against PRIMA (formerly known as the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation) and Mr. Ernst Wagner, Paul Rudolph’s Executor and residuary beneficiary, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The parties have agreed to settle all claims in the matter with the terms of the settlement being confidential.

Part of the Lawsuit involved the ownership and copyright status of works authored by Paul Rudolph or his architectural office.

In his will, Paul Rudolph gave his Architectural Archives (collectively “Paul Rudolph Works”) 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 to the Library of Congress of those items among the Paul Rudolph Works that the Library of Congress determined suitable for its collections. These items became the Paul Rudolph Collection at the Library of Congress.

The Court ruled that Paul Rudolph Works in the Paul Rudolph Collection at the Library of Congress are in the public domain. The Paul Rudolph Foundation, Inc. v. Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation et. al, 2022 WL 4109723, at *8 (S.D.N.Y. Sep. 8, 2022).

The Court also acknowledged that since the Library of Congress did not select the entirety of the Paul Rudolph Works, materials not in the Library’s Collection may not be in the public domain and Mr. Wagner may hold intellectual property rights to this material as the residuary beneficiary of Mr. Rudolph’s estate.  Id. at *7, n.4.

“The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is dedicated to communicating, preserving and extending the legacy of world renowned architect Paul Marvin Rudolph,” said Kelvin Dickinson, President of PRIMA.  “We welcome the court’s decision that the Paul Rudolph Works at the Library of Congress are dedicated to the public so that his work is preserved and can be celebrated by future generations.”

Ernst Wagner, Executor of the Paul Rudolph Estate stated, “It is the common objective of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture and the Estate of Paul Rudolph to carry out Rudolph’s wish to preserve and publicize his professional architectural career.  This settlement will allow everyone to move forward to increase the appreciation, understanding, accessibility, study and preservation of Rudolph’s architectural career.”                          

About the Paul Rudolph Estate

Ernst Wagner, a personal friend of Paul Rudolph and owner of Modulightor, a lighting company founded by Mr. Rudolph, is both the Executor of Paul Rudolph’s will and the beneficiary of his estate.

About the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture

The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture is a New York City-based non-profit 501(c)3 organization founded by Ernst Wagner to fulfill Paul Rudolph’s wish that an organization be created to preserve his architectural legacy.  Through preservation and advocacy efforts, educational initiatives, public events and maintaining and developing an archive of written and graphic materials, the Institute seeks to communicate the legacy of this unique American architect in a larger architectural and cultural context to interested students, journalists, scholars, and the general public. 

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, visit www.paulrudolph.institute and find them on Threads (@PaulRudolphInst), Twitter (@PaulRudolphInst), Facebook (@PaulRudolphInst) and Instagram (@PaulRudolphInst).

Download the press release here.

Stay up to date and informed on the latest news about Paul Rudolph and our work to preserve his legacy for future generations to experience.  Stay in touch thru one of the links below

Subscribe For News And Events Of The Paul Rudolph Institute For Modern Architecture

Like us, you are passionate about Modern Architecture. Join our growing online community to stay informed and engaged with the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture.

Sign Up