Cocoon House for Rent

The Cocoon/Healy Guest House is available for rent on the resort island of Siesta Key, Florida.

Designed by Paul Rudolph and Ralph Twitchell, the Cocoon/Healy Guest House is a Sarasota School of Architecture icon, and an "American Treasure of the United States Library of Congress."

The owner wants a fine, upstanding renter for this property - could this be you - or someone you know?

Rental Information & Requirements: The Cocoon/Healy Guest House has two bedrooms, one bath, and is a waterfront property with boat dock. Rent is $1250 / month. First, last and one month security deposit = $3750 due with rental agreement. Owner prefers a 12-month rental, unfurnished. Other arrangements may be considered.

If you are interested please contact Martie Lieberman at martie.lieberman@gmail.com for more information.

On Architecture by Ada Louise Huxtable

Out since October, Ada Louise Huxtable's ON ARCHITECTURE: COLLECTED REFLECTIONS ON A CENTURY OF CHANGE arrived outside of the radar of the Rudolph lens.

While pouring through decades of writings for New York Times, and Wall Street Journal, she made several hard decisions, but perhaps timely ones as well. Included is an article she wrote in late of 1972 for the Times: "The Building You Love to Hate". While this could seem vague and apply to a myriad of Rudolph's buildings, this one refers to the corduroy bad boy of New Haven.

A title good enough to theme this month's Yale Alumni Magazine as well:



Ms. Huxtable set the tone decades ago, (after the A+A's first 'rebirth') and the building has perhaps lived up to her review. Beginning with the disclaimer that "this is a bit of revisionist history" (sound familiar?) she defines the building as a supersymbol riding the wave of public sentiment and falling from grace.

Nearly as relevant, and perhaps applicable throughout the volume, is her introduction. While her reprints are hand picked, and re-arranged for new meaning in their assembly, and distance from original date of publication, the true reflecting is in the introduction.

"What is truly fascinating is the way reputations have gone up and down over the years...if you wait long enough, what is admired will be relegated to history's dustbin, and if you wait even longer, it will be rescued and restored." (Apparently a second time).

Her wisdom cautions that although she found it 'extraordinary' then and still today, she is happy to bring up the building's 'flaws' which persist. Hopefully this renovation is the one to stick, and our future generations can reain placated with the paprika carpet- its cave like feel and its other endearing graces to not retaliate against the structure itself again.

But, if they do, we are ready with a response from Ms. Huxtable which will be just as relevant if that day ever comes.

To grab yourself a copy, ORDER AMAZON or ORDER BARNES & NOBLE

Credit where its due...

Two years ago, photographer Ronald Binks very generously gifted the Paul Rudolph Foundation a number of negatives and prints he shot of Paul and his projects for Foundation use. In particular, the collection had a wealth of pictures of the Greeley Labs, which has come under great interest lately by preservationists fearing its future. Please read IS GREELEY LABS SECURE Some of these images were made available to Yale for the current MODEL CITIES exhibition and shared in kind with credit to the Photographer, Courtesy of the Paul Rudolph Foundation.

Unfortunately, author Thomas de Monchaux chose not to provide credit in his article,
ALL RUDOLPH from the 12/10 issue of the Architect's Newspaper.

The article further inappropriately credits the photographer as ESTO, who although having documented several of Paul's works, is not responsible for these images.

Equally disturbing, is if you try to right click the images. The first is Yale's property, (but not credited courtesy of Yale University Manuscripts and Archives). The following two even have the source in the file name: TempleSt_Garage_LOC stands for Library of Congress and Greeley_Labs_PRF is via your very own Paul Rudolph Foundation.

While this is obviously sloppy at best, more importantly, it is a slight to the photographer whose work is exploited, and fails to acknowledge the repositories which protect our history for future generations. The Foundation would like to apologize for this mis-use and mis-representation of Ronald Binks' work and again thank him for his generosity.

The Paul Rudolph Foundation is committed to sharing the work of Mr. Binks and welcomes visitors to view prints of his work at the Foundation.

Rudolph Becomes an Adjective

With threats to Paul Rudolph buildings growing amid news of the recent renovation of Yale's Art & Architecture building making headlines around the world, it was only a matter of time before popular culture began to take notice.

And now Paul Rudolph's name - after years of obscurity outside of architectural circles - has appeared in the Urban Dictionary. The online dictionary of American slang features millions of user-submitted words and definitions and was listed by TIME magazine as one of the "50 Best Websites of 2008".

Rudolph has gone from being a person to a phenomenon:

Rudolphed\ROO-dolf-ed, adjective:

After the late, famed, buzz-cut topped architect Paul Rudolph, this term now refers to any of innumerable mid-century modernist structures facing the wrecking ball. The incipient debris is occassionally a masterpiece yet, more often than not, of mediocre value. The passion gathered behind saving such an edifice represents an ominous sign of future protests to save lousy dryvit-clad works by Michael Graves and Taft architects.

Useage:
"Ah, man - another Breuer building is about to get Rudolphed. Gather the troops!"

Paul Rudolph now joins the likes of Quentin Tarentino, Bob Dylan and Seth Godin in the sense that they have each become their own adjective.

Whether a song could be "Dylan-esque" or a movie considered "Taratino-like", now buildings can be "Rudolph-esque" only to later be "Rudolphed".

As Scott Ginsburg explains in his article about personal branding,

These individuals have become their own adjective because, over a period of years, their uniqueness, artistry, school of thought, talents, style, visibility, expertise and consistency have become so recognizable, so memorable and so prevalent in their respective industries that people actually begin to use their NAMES as adjectives which describe other things IN that industry.

When something like this happens it is known as genericide. This happens when a brand name becomes a generic name for an entire product category.

It has happened before - think Kleenex, Scotch tape and Rollerblade - and now Paul Rudolph has become associated with the fragile status of modern American architecture.

Mr. Ginsburg goes further:

Andrea O'Neill, Brand Strategist and Executive Marketing Coach, strongly believes in the power of becoming your own adjective. "It means you live your values, talents, tastes or style so passionately and openly that others know exactly what you stand for without needing to ask you," says O'Neill, "...and if you express your passions honestly in your every day actions, those around you will know exactly where you stand."

Becoming your own adjective is like creating fans, not customers...who love your work SO much, they'd move heaven and earth to support you. Then they'd tell all their friends how great you are.

Paul Rudolph knew who he was when he said "only time can ascertain the true artists." So next time you walk down the street and see a cool building that screams "duck" more than "decorated shed" and say to yourself "Oh, that building is SO Rudolph!"

That's how you become your own adjective.

Is Greeley Labs Secure?

There has been a good deal of attention to the legacy of Paul Rudolph at Yale with the recent restoration of the A+A and an accompanying show MODEL CITY to examine Paul's impact there. Tucked in a corner and around a new handicapped ramp in the gallery are a model, photos and drawings for Greeley Labs, a 1959 Laboratory designed in memory of William B. Greeley, former chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Intended for research in "forest biology, and wood technology" and with dedicated space for graduate instruction, the building would not pass muster with most current Foresters for its unsustainability- it is chock full of "five kinds of wood veneer...Honduras and Philippine mahogany, oak, black walnut, and cherry". Nestled in a remote area of campus, its protected by student housing and green houses.

Despite the fanfare for the return of the Paprika carpet to York Street, the Greeley Labs, long idle, are getting a remake of their own, but unfortunately that means the removal of original interiors and woodblock flooring.



Underused, many students note they have never had classes in the building, and with KROON HALL, a new School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Facility designed by Hopkins Architects out of London, closer to campus, current students feel its obsolescence: 'Forestry is not about just studying plants anymore, we are concerned with climate change, developing nations, transportation...issues that weren't at the forefront in 1959'.

Yale's Facilities makes no note of the current renovation work on their FACILITIES WEBSITE but a quick look at the YALE UNIVERSITY FRAMEWORK FOR CAMPUS PLANNING by Cooper, Robertson & Partners shows future uncertainty. Marked as an "Open Space" Site (versus a "Development Site" it is also earmarked as #1 on their list for redevelopment under their INITIATIVES section, as it is included within the Marsh Botanical Gardens scope.



While the building has been adapted over the years, as seen below in an improvised technology retrofit, many of the changes buried the ideas of openness, clerestories and ubiquitous light, making the current experience tired and dreary.



Although filled and painted, the Y-shaped columns (What a great branding opportunity for the school!) were intended as defining elements to throw shadows but also support the 100' x 164' roof over this one story pavilion. Built on a dense base marble chip base, Rudolph manages to level the sloping site, while creating a footing in the Z direction in lieu of his radiating diagonals usually projected in the X-Y coordinates, a common tool for Rudolph to remove his work from its earthly context.




(Greeley Labs, Left; A + A, Right)





Greeley Labs is a small project amidst Paul's oeuvre, but a good study piece for what his career would go on to produce.

Lets hope that Yale follows its own example and continues to recognize the riches of its campus as Greeley Labs enters her fiftieth year in 2009!

Voters say "yes" to demolishing historic Chorley Elementary School

On Thursday, December 18, Middletown residents passed a proposed referendum to purchase property in Clemson Park and build a new 58-classroom elementary school. The unofficial votes were as follows:

Proposition 1: 428 yes votes to 238 no votes
Proposition 2: 411 yes votes to 241 no votes

Proposition 1 will allow the district to purchase 19 acres in Clemson Park, for $2.61 million, adjacent to Chorley on which the new elementary school will be built. The district would use money from its savings to purchase the property.

Proposition 2 will allow the district to build a new 58-classroom elementary school for $63,490,000 million. Costs would be covered by State aid, Contract for Excellence (C4E) money, savings from bringing BOCES students back into the district’s schools, and district savings.


The Foundation encourages the local School Board and preservation-conscious residents to preserve the original building and either construct an addition or adapt the original building for a new use.

For more information about the Paul Rudolph Foundation's goal to preserve Paul Rudolph's architectural legacy, please go to our website at
www.paulrudolph.org or email us at information@paulrudolph.org

Paul Goldberger Rounds 'em Up

In ARCHITECTURE'S TEN BEST OF 2008, Paul Goldberger reminisces on 2008 with a bit of gloom for the architecture that won't be in the years to come. Luckily 2008 gave us back some architecture that "hasn't been".

While using nearly every adjective imaginable, (add more of your own in our MADLibs comments section) Paul Goldberger describes the transformation in New Haven claiming

"Rudolph’s 1963 landmark is a brilliant, infuriating, impossible, frustrating, and breathtakingly glorious masterpiece...Charles Gwathmey is not merely respectful, but loving. Gwathmey brought back the combination of toughness and sumptuousness that made this building so remarkable"

Charles Gwathmey, (one of Paul's students) along with Norman Foster, (another of Paul's students), Rem Koolhaas, (not one of Paul's students) and Renzo Piano, (one of Paul's students who was trying to kill his Blue Cross and Blue Shield Building earlier this year- see post "Bad Economy Saves Rudolph's Blue Cross Building in Boston?") round out the list. For the details, see the full article:

NEW YORKER MAGAZINE

Chorley Recognition

Despite planning a new school for years, Middletown has had little discussion of what is at stake. Local Times Herald-Record reporter Heather Yakin makes a mention of Paul in her recent article:

TIMES HERALD-RECORD

From what we have searched this is the first time the architect has been mentioned in any discussion on the school board's intentions.

When planning for a new school, even Paul would agree that education is key and that the students of Middletown, without question deserve the very best. Times have changed, but so must we. American cannot continue to steam roll its heritage for the quick fix. The Chorley school turned 40 this year, it is too young to be thrown away as landfill.

The Paul Rudolph Foundation urges the people of Middletown to consider alternate uses, i.e. a private school, a senior center etc.

The current plan is to level the school (on a sloped site) for new baseball fields. Down South, the World Monuments Fund is simultaneously urging the people of Sarasota, FL to reconsider allowing their ground-breaking Riverview High School become a surface parking lot.

Our buildings, and our culture deserve better, and our future deserves a heritage.

Writings on Architecture by Paul Rudolph

The Yale School of Architecture with Yale University Press has just published WRITINGS ON ARCHITECTURE
which covers nineteen of Paul's lectures, articles and interviews. Designed by PENTAGRAM, the book is filled with some of Paul's own travel images and even a photo essay into the life of the former A+A.

Some pieces have been republished from PERSPECTA, the Yale Architecture Journal that Paul helped start when he was Chair. And others are more mainstream: from ARCHITECTURAL FORUM, ARCHITECTURAL RECORD, HOUSE AND GARDEN, and ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN.

The topics range from acceptance speeches to Paul's thoughts on regionalism, prefabricated construction, urban renewal and the pedagogy of architecture itself.

Although a small volume, (164 pages) it takes a reader through the decades of Paul's career and emphasizes that he had no one singular focus- all of architecture was his life and passion. Paul's ambidexterity in design, from churches to elementary schools to corporate headquarters and public housing to the finest NYC townhouses, is indicative of his interests.

While he didn't write a lot and his career-long manuscript charting his ideas on materials and architecture lies, incomplete, within the chambers of the Library of Congress, WRITINGS ON ARCHITECTURE is a good window into the thoughts of one of Americas great architects.

Perhaps what is most intriguing is the timeliness of his concerns. Building Green. Building PreFab. (Re)Building Cities. Challenging Architectural Education. WRITINGS ON ARCHITECTURE is a great book, but it is also an awakening, and a call to arms.

The Paul Rudolph Foundation is committed to clearing rights and releasing as much of Paul's writings as possible. Check in to our MAIN SITE as we work to digitally share our collection.

In the mean time, we welcome you to ORDER AMAZON or ORDER BARNES & NOBLE for your own bookshelf.

Review of Goldberger Panel Discussion

The hometown newspaper that helps track the status of Rudolph's early work in the Sarasota School followed him up North to Yale recently to comment on the Paul Goldberger powerhouse that Yale assembled with Carl Abbott, Lord Richard Rogers and Lord Norman Foster in honor of the re-dedication. The group discussed their time at Yale and their sense of urgency during breaks from school to absorb as much architecture as possible- like traveling to Chicago on a Frank Lloyd Wright pilgrimage.

Wright, highly respected by Rudolph was a common precedent used in desk side crits and in his own work. Media's reading after the jump:

SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE

Best of '08!

Blair Kamin looks at the yin and yang of 2008 architecture across the U.S. pointing out highs and lows- by his take, Yale had both:

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

While he chastises Paul's work as the "Brutalist monster that practically became unlivable after its 1963 opening" he now seems content with its rebirth, but irked but the Loria Center addition.

Not bad work for an architect who turned 90 this October and has been "inactive" since 1997...

Robert Ivy on Robert's Ivy Re-Make

Robert Ivy takes a look back at the rededication events at Yale and sees current Dean, Robert A. M. Stern in Rudolph's light, and in relation to what a Dean's power can be in this month's editorial:

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD

Chorley Middle School on the Chopping Block

We have known for some time that the John C. Chorley Elementary School (1964-1969) on a sloping site in Middletown NY was showing signs of age but talks with the Principal a year ago reinforced the community's love for the building and calmed fears of demolition. Then came the baby boom:

THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD

In theory, the district would demolish Chorley and build a bigger school for students who would have gone to Chorley and Truman Moon.

An Alum, who is currently pursuing his Masters at the Harvard Graduate School of Design tipped us off that there would be a vote this Thursday, December 18th. To see the referendum items, follow:

THE TIMES HERALD-RECORD

In light of his career choice, its amusing to read current Principal's December Newsletter:

There is a very important referendum vote coming up on Dec. 18 regarding the construction of a new “Chorley.” This vote will have a major impact on your children’s future education as the present Chorley building is no longer a viable structure. The cost of upgrading the present structure will be comparable to the same amount of money to construct a new building.



I know at least one kid at the GSD (Paul Rudolph's own Grad School) who might agree: why yes, not attending Chorley would have impacted his future education...perhaps he wouldn't have pursued architecture?

Chorley was built along a strong spine, with low profile, and a library for a heart.

When first completed, the Architectural Record reported:

Inside and out, the school demonstrates the sense of surprise, the seeming complexity but essential simplicity, and the three-dimensionality that mark so much of Rudolph's work

At that time, construction costs (with site work, construction, mechanicals, carpet, furnishings and equipment for the building and 27 acre site) were around $1.9 Million. In today's dollars, tax payers are looking at two proposals; proposition 1 which allows for a 19 acre land grab at a cool $2.61M and proposition 2 which calls for over $63M and a whole new school.

As things are still very early, (and rather uncertain considering that none of the referendum points call for demolition), let's cautiously watch the school board's decision next Thursday, and all plan a visit:

J. W. Chorley Elementary
50 Roosevelt Avenue
Middletown, NY 10940

Please consider sending a letter or email in support of saving the building. The contacts for the Board of Education are:

Middletown Board of Education
223 Wisner Avenue
Middletown, NY 10940
Phone: (845) 326-1130
Fax: (845) 326-1225

Dr. Nicholas Mauro, President
Lynne Perkins, Vice President
William Geiger
Evelyn Isseks
Linda Knapp
Barbara Martinez
Roy Paul
John Perrino
Rose Tobiassen

Superintendent
Dr. Kenneth W. Eastwood - keastwood@ecsdm.org

Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds
Thomas Scott - tscott@ecsdm.org

John W. Chorley Elementary School
50 Roosevelt Avenue
Middletown, NY 10940
Phone: (845) 341-5241
Fax: (845) 342-1925

Principal
Frederick H. Griffin - fgriffin@ecsdm.org

Assistant Principal
Ivette Figueroa - ifigueroa@escdm.org



Please note, the Middletown School District is in Orange County. The county government has been threatening to demolish the Orange County Government Center for nearly 8 years.

If you have any further news or details, please email us at information@paulrudolph.org Thanks!

Yale Exhibition Reviewed

This week, the New Haven Independent reviewed Model City, an exhibition at Yale curated by scholar Timothy Rohan. It opened in November and will be on view (Mondays-Fridays, 9-5, Saturdays 10-5 and Sundays 12-5) through Yale's symposium on Paul in late January. It is scheduled to close after Valentines Day. If you can't make the show, check out this review:

NEW HAVEN INDEPENDENT

Rudolph in the News

Author Phyllis Tuchman takes another look at recent events at Yale and re-examines Paul's place in their light, while situating him amongst the faculty who currently preach within his halls. She smartly labels the turn of events for Paul's career "the unBilbao effect. He was the anti-Frank Gehry..."

Take a look:

OBIT MAGAZINE

If an architect isn’t an artist, he should not be called an architect

Bad Economy Saves Rudolph's Blue Cross Building in Boston?

The Paul Rudolph Foundation has been keeping an eye on Rudolph's Blue Cross Blue Shield Building, which is due to be demolished as part of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Developer Steve Belkin's plan to construct a 1,000-foot tall tower at Winthrop Square known as Trans National Place (or, Tommy's Tower depending upon who you ask in Boston...)

The plan for the tower, originally proposed in 2006 and designed by the architect Renzo Piano, is to be built over an adjacent city owned parking garage located at 115 Federal Street.


The Paul Rudolph Foundation and others were shocked to discover that Piano planned to demolish Paul Rudolph's iconic Blue Cross/Blue Shield building in order to allow for a park next to the planned tower. "But if it is not demolished, we lose the opportunity to create a city square," said the architect in a March 4th, 2007 article in the New York Times.


The Boston Landmarks Commission on March 13th 2007 reviewed Mr. Belkin's application for a demolition permit, and the Foundation and several groups including Docomomo - an international organization devoted to preserving Modernist buildings - joined together to urge the panel to reconsider. “We are not opposed to the new development, but we would like to think there is a solution that could accommodate the preservation of Mr. Rudolph’s building,” said David Fixler, president of Docomomo’s New England branch. According to a March 15th article in the Architectural Record,

Preservationists at a public hearing on Tuesday criticized what they characterize as a rush to demolish Rudolph’s building. They noted that the proposed tower faces a long permitting process with no guarantees it will be constructed.

The Commission issued a 90-day stay of demolition as a result. Mr. Piano decided to drop out of the project two days later - the reason not publicly discussed but widely assumed to be due to Mr. Belkin's insistence to increase the width of his very slender design.

Mr. Belkin then turned to CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Architects Inc. to complete the project, which now includes an extra 200,000 sf for a total of 1.7 million.

In a May 9th television broadcast, Mr. Belkin stated the $1 billion project was on schedule and that he would have permits by the end of the year, with construction to begin in early 2008 and be complete in 2011.

Trouble for the project then began in late May, when the Boston Herald revealed that Belkin's company hadn't begun payments to the city to purchase the estimated $70 million parking garage and that there was no deadline for him to begin the payments. The Boston Business Journal then announced the garage

will remain open for the next two years until it is sold to Trans National Properties. The sale of the garage property is expected to be between $70-100 million. Until the sale is completed, the city of Boston will continue to receive revenues from the garage. The Boston Redevelopment Authority issued a request for proposals for new management and a new lease agreement for the garage.

Storm clouds continued to grow over the proposed tower later that month, when it was discovered the new building "could run afoul of a state law that bars new buildings that would cast additional shadows on Boston Common" according to the Boston Herald Business Reporter.

In July of 2007, the city announced it had finalized a deal with Network Parking Company Ltd. to run the parking garage for 1 year beginning July 1st, with an option to extend on a year-to-year basis for no more than 3 years.

In a September 28th article in the Boston Business Journal, Kairos Shen, the Boston Redevelopment Authority's (BRA) Director of Planning, announced there were at the time at least three design schemes being considered, including 76-, 77- and 79-story versions. According to BRA's acting Director Paul McCann, "Belkin is spending $250,000 a month designing the project." McCann also stated the city was withholding entering into an agreement to give the adjacent parking garage to Mr. Belkin until they were confident the project was moving forward. The article goes on to say,

When businessman Belkin, a local entrepreneur, submitted his response to the city's call for proposals in November 2006, he estimated he would receive tentative designation in January, final designation in May and he would acquire needed land -- he already owns an adjacent building that would be razed to make room for the tower -- from the city in July. So far, none of those things have happened.

Whether the tower will still be 1,000 feet is up to Belkin.

"That's a major decision on his part," said McCann. "You don't build a 1,000-foot tower if it's not financially feasible. That has to be on his mind every day (that) he's spent a quarter of a million dollars a month."

On October 4, the Boston Herald announced the city-owned parking garage would remain "for at least another year, casting doubts that [it] will ever get built." According to the article, the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and Belkin couldn't agree on a fair-price for the property.

Then, an article about the project published May 16, 2008 in the Boston Globe stated

The Federal Aviation Administration has told Boston officials that, at 1,000 feet, the skyscraper might be an obstruction, possibly in the flight path of a plane aborting a landing at Logan and unexpectedly veering off over downtown Boston at low altitude.

The tower is "stalled because of the FAA issue on height," Mayor Menino said

But this is not the only problem Belkin faces. With the financial markets in turmoil, financing for a billion-dollar building might be harder to come by.

An executive working on the project [at CBT Architects of Boston], who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak, said the design work on the building has almost stopped because of these troubles.

And the latest information comes from an article in the November 16th issue of the Boston Herald,

So far, plans for a 1,000-foot tower at Winthrop Square championed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino have stalled. Sources say the project is dead and that Steven Belkin, chairman of Boston-based Trans National Properties, probably will never build the city's tallest tower.

According to the paper, the Trans National Place tower is one of many projects that have been cancelled or at least indefinitely put on hold.

The Paul Rudolph Foundation sincerely hopes that the city will reconsider preserving Paul Rudolph's iconic Blue Cross / Blue Shield building should plans ever move ahead for Mr. Belkin's tower.

It Keeps Coming:

With the initial shock of the paprika carpet settling in, the architecture critics are coming back for a second look at the new Paul Rudolph Hall and presenting new views on the past:

SLATE

"With improved mechanical systems—and double glazing—the environmental shortcomings of the original building have been rectified, and it's possible to appreciate the A&A as a place of learning."

ARCHITECT MAGAZINE

"With the near-total eclipse of Postmodernism, it is ironic that the very figures who opposed Rudolph are burying their previous positions, some with a convenient amnesia. Venturi has formally apologized for his writings..."

11/25/08 Article about the Paul Rudolph Foundation

The Paul Rudolph Foundation found itself the subject of a short article published in a local NYC weekly this past week. We were told, when we were orginally approached for the article, that it would be about the recent rededication of Rudolph Hall. As it turned out, the author had something else up his sleeve - including misquotes and misinformation.

To read the article you can go here.

In response, the Paul Rudolph Foundation released the following letter today to the editors:

December 2, 2008

Editors
New York Media
75 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013


To the Editors of New York Magazine:

We appreciate and share David Hay’s interest in the preservation of Paul Rudolph’s legacy. The Paul Rudolph Foundation is alarmed by the growing threats posed to Mr. Rudolph’s buildings and the work of his contemporaries John Johanson, Eero Saarinen, Philip Johnson and Marcel Breuer both across the country and abroad.

Like the Lautner Foundation mentioned by Mr. Hay, we also work with realtors and share current listings on our website: www.paulrudolph.org. For the three buildings lost since Paul’s death in 1997, we worked to place the property with interested buyers who recognized its architectural significance and shared our goal of its preservation. The Twitchell Residence (depicted in article) belonged to an architect who authored a book on Rudolph’s Florida work. It was only demolished as a last resort, due to heavy storm damage, and only after being fully documented. When the Cerrito Residence fell in 2007, Paul’s most recent building to meet its demise, the Foundation had worked personally with Mr. Hay to put the home in proper hands. Unfortunately, the deed holders refused to engage our efforts once a preservation plan had been formalized.

The founder of the Paul Rudolph Foundation and key patron, Mr. Ernst Wagner, fought vehemently with other supporters in 1999 to preserve Paul’s legendary apartment at Beekman Place as a place for the study of his contribution to modern architecture. When this effort ended with its sale and subsequent gutting, he offered work and archival space at the Modulightor townhouse to pursue the final wishes of Mr. Rudolph.

We welcome and encourage any inquiries into our activities and upcoming exhibition during our next open house, Friday, December 5th from 6-8 pm at the Foundation’s headquarters, located in the Rudolph-designed Modulightor Building at 246 E. 58th Street, or online at information@paulrudolph.org.

As the recent renovation of Yale’s Art & Architecture building indicates, there are success stories. And with each loss we have gained supporters and experience as how to work more effectively to preserve Paul’s work for future generations. As Paul himself once said, “only time can ascertain the true artists.”

Sincerely,

Kelvin Dickinson
Sean Khorsandi
Fong Huang
Ernst Wagner
George Balle