119-694: The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (also known as 321 East 42nd Street , 320 East 43rd Street , or the Ford Foundation Building ) is a 12-story office building in East Midtown Manhattan in New York City . Designed by architect Kevin Roche and engineering partner John Dinkeloo in the late modernist style , the building was one of the first that Roche-Dinkeloo produced after they became heads of Eero Saarinen's firm. The building
238-651: A 47-year association with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, for which they did extensive remodeling and built many extensions to house new galleries including the one containing the Egyptian Temple of Dendur . Other high-profile commissions for the firm came from clients as varied as Wesleyan University , the United Nations , Cummins Engine , Union Carbide , The United States Post Office , and
357-422: A brick-paved porte-cochère behind the four piers. There are two brass double doors at this entrance. The third and fourth stories are recessed as well, but at a progressively smaller scale, and the eleventh and twelfth stories are also slightly recessed. The setbacks on this elevation were designed to reflect the terraced garden inside. The western elevation faces a private driveway. It is faced with granite, with
476-433: A college education or higher. The percentage of Midtown Manhattan students excelling in math rose from 61% in 2000 to 80% in 2011 and reading achievement increased from 66% to 68% during the same time period. Midtown Manhattan's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In Midtown Manhattan, 19% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , less than
595-743: A foundation for the family of Henry Ford , who had founded the Ford Motor Company . In 1949, after a report by Horace Rowan Gaither , the foundation was reorganized to focus on economic improvements, education, freedom and democracy, human behavior, and world peace. By 1950, it was the largest private foundation in the United States, and its assets were valued at about $ 474 million. The foundation had its main offices in Pasadena, California , and satellite offices in Detroit and New York City. The New York office
714-527: A less imposing environment. The renovation also added some event space. The project, designed by architecture firm Gensler , was finished in late 2018 and cost $ 205 million. After the renovation was finished, the building became known as the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, reflecting the fact that the renovation had added space for social-justice groups. According to the New York Times ,
833-413: A lesser depth and are carried over this recess by a glass-walled enclosure with an I-beam on top. The twelfth story protrudes further out than the eleventh story, and a catwalk hangs underneath the eleventh story. An entrance with a revolving door is between the two diagonal piers, and there is an additional set of doors in the space between the center pier and the western section of the facade. As of 2024,
952-507: A low population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, slightly less than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Midtown Manhattan is 0.0113 milligrams per cubic metre (1.13 × 10 oz/cu ft), more than the city average. Eleven percent of Midtown Manhattan residents are smokers , which
1071-419: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 81.2% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 8 murders, 23 rapes, 653 robberies, 502 felony assaults, 660 burglaries, 2,375 grand larcenies, and 68 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The main part of midtown Manhattan, between 34th and 59th Streets from Lexington Avenue to Eighth Avenue, is served by five fire stations of
1190-587: A major force in Midtown Manhattan's economy, and indeed the city's, as the total value of all New York City property was estimated at US$ 914.8 billion for the 2015 fiscal year . Manhattan has perennially been home to some of the nation's, as well as one of the world's, most marketable real estate, including the Time Warner Center , which had the highest-listed market value in the city in 2006 at US$ 1.1 billion, to be subsequently surpassed in October 2014 by
1309-404: A major renovation and restoration project, and it was renamed the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. The Ford Foundation Building has been critically acclaimed for its design, both after its completion and after the renovation. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building and its atrium as city landmarks in 1997. The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
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#17328490715911428-598: A narrow bay of windows and two wider window bays from north to south. This private driveway also has brick pavers, a loading dock, and garage and service entrances. The Ford Foundation Building includes a 1 ⁄ 3 -acre (0.13 ha) public atrium with a ceiling 160 feet (49 m) high. It is open to the public during the daytime and is free to visit. The garden inside the atrium was designed by Dan Kiley , one of Saarinen's frequent collaborators. The garden contains several tiers sloping up from 42nd to 43rd Street, with an elevation change of 13 feet (4.0 m). The atrium
1547-567: A number of private languages and music centers (e.g. Berlitz , American Language Communication Center, New York Language Center, Swan Music School, and the New York Youth Symphony ). The La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi Italian international school moved to West Midtown in 2016. The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (also the Main Branch),
1666-959: A program aimed at creating "a 24/7, live-work, mixed-use neighborhood" in Midtown South though the conversion of commercial and office space to residential, as part of an effort to create 20,000 new residences citywide in a decade. According to The Broadway League , shows on Broadway sold approximately US$ 1.54 billion worth of tickets in both the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons. Both seasons featured theater attendance of approximately 12.3 million each. Companies that used to have their headquarters in Midtown Manhattan include American Airlines , American Comics Group , American Overseas Airlines , Central Park Media , Eastern Air Lines , GoodTimes Entertainment , LJN , NewKidCo , Pan American World Airways , Philip Morris Companies (now Altria Group ), Trans Caribbean Airways , and Trans World Airlines . In 1997, Aer Lingus announced that it
1785-657: A reference branch at 476 Fifth Avenue. The four-story building, constructed in 1911, is known worldwide for its architecture and has several million items in its collections. There are also five circulating branches in Midtown: Two campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY)—the doctorate-granting CUNY Graduate Center and the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College —are located in Midtown, while Baruch College , also of
1904-406: A vacuum, the glass tended to stripe. By combining the two processes of coating glass with the metallized solution and then laminating the two panes of glass, a reflective glass pane with the properties of safety glass was created. Dinkeloo's technical developments and refining as well as pioneering new applications of materials for architectural use was applied to many of KRJDA's projects. Dinkeloo
2023-401: Is 12 stories high and reaches 174 feet (53 m) or 180 feet (55 m). It was designed by Eero Saarinen Associates (renamed Roche-Dinkeloo in 1966), composed of Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo , who took over the firm after its namesake Eero Saarinen died in 1961. Roche was involved primarily in design, while Dinkeloo oversaw the construction. Turner Construction was the contractor for
2142-467: Is 41% in Midtown Manhattan, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Midtown Manhattan is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Midtown Manhattan is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD . Midtown North is patrolled by the 18th Precinct, located at 306 West 54th Street, while Midtown South
2261-456: Is a one-way street sloping down from Tudor City to the rest of the Manhattan grid. Because of the street grid of the area, vehicles traveling to the building must travel eastward on 41st Street from Second Avenue, then turn onto Tudor City Plaza (which crosses 42nd Street), and then turn again onto 43rd Street. This creates a "scenic" approach for the main entrance. One architectural critic said that
2380-643: Is also growing in Midtown Manhattan based upon the city's strength in academic scientific research and public and commercial financial support. By mid-2014, Accelerator, a biotech investment firm, had raised more than US$ 30 million from investors , including Eli Lilly and Company , Pfizer , and Johnson & Johnson , for initial funding to create biotechnology startups at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, which encompasses more than 700,000 square feet (65,000 m ) on East 29th Street and promotes collaboration among scientists and entrepreneurs at
2499-690: Is commonly defined to be 59th Street ; its southern boundary is less clear, and variously taken to be 34th Street , 23rd Street , or even 14th Street . Midtown spans the entire island of Manhattan along an east–west axis, bounded by the East River on its east and the Hudson River to its west. The Encyclopedia of New York City defines Midtown as extending from 34th Street to 59th Street and from 3rd Avenue to 8th Avenue. In addition to its central business district , Midtown Manhattan encompasses many neighborhoods, including Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea on
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#17328490715912618-546: Is considered to be the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere , servicing around 650,000 people per day. The Port Authority Bus Terminal , located at Eighth Avenue and 41st Street at the western edge of Midtown, is the city's main intercity bus terminal and the world's busiest bus station, serving 250,000 passengers on 7,000 buses each workday. The building opened in 1950 and had been designed to accommodate 60,000 daily passengers. A 2021 plan announced by
2737-438: Is designed as a glass-and-steel cube held up by piers made of concrete and clad with Dakota granite . The main entrance is along 43rd Street, and there is a secondary entrance on 42nd Street . The large public atrium inside, the first such space in an office building in Manhattan, was designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley and includes plants, shrubs, trees, and vines. Most of the building's offices are north and west of
2856-701: Is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 86% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Midtown Manhattan, there are 11 bodegas . The nearest major hospitals are Mount Sinai West in Hell's Kitchen ; Beth Israel Medical Center in Stuyvesant Town ; the Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Langone Medical Center in Kips Bay ; and NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in
2975-496: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are adults: a plurality (45%) are between the ages of 25 and 44, while 22% are between 45 and 64, and 13% are 65 or older. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 7% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Districts 4 and 5 (including Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen )
3094-655: Is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building , the Chrysler Building , the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project , the headquarters of the United Nations , Grand Central Terminal , and Rockefeller Center , as well as several prominent tourist destinations, including Broadway , Times Square , and Koreatown . Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan is
3213-470: Is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 297 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 18th Precinct has a lower crime rate than it did in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.1% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 1 murder, 22 rapes, 154 robberies, 185 felony assaults, 205 burglaries, 2,065 grand larcenies, and 116 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The 14th Precinct also has
3332-407: Is less than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Midtown Manhattan, 10% of residents are obese , 5% are diabetic , and 18% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 9% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which
3451-496: Is located at 421 8th Avenue. The post office stopped 24-hour service in 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Midtown Manhattan generally has a higher rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018 . A majority of residents age 25 and older (78%) have a college education or higher, while 6% have less than a high school education and 17% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 64% of Manhattan residents and 43% of city residents have
3570-918: Is located in Midtown Manhattan. Haier operates its United States offices in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway, formerly the headquarters of the Greenwich Savings Bank . Haier held the opening ceremony on March 4, 2002. Sumitomo Corporation operates its New York Office, the headquarters of the corporation's United States operations, at 600 Third Avenue, 10016 in the Murray Hill neighborhood. El Al 's North American headquarters are in Midtown. The Air France USA regional headquarters are in 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Hachette Book Group USA has its headquarters in 237 Park Avenue . In 1994 Alitalia considered moving its USA headquarters from Midtown to Lower Manhattan , but decided to keep
3689-406: Is more easily accessed from 42nd Street, while the building's lobby is closer to 43rd Street. The lobby contains elevator banks near the northwest corner of the building. On the western side of the atrium is a stair connecting the lobby and atrium. There are also several smaller stairs and ramps. A wheelchair lift at the atrium's southeast corner connects the garden's tiers. As originally arranged,
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3808-470: Is on the south side of 43rd Street, in the middle of the block between First Avenue to the east and Second Avenue to the west. It has addresses at 321 East 42nd Street to the south and 320 East 43rd Street to the north, although the 43rd Street entrance is the main entrance. The site measures 202 by 200 feet (62 by 61 m), of which the building occupies an area measuring 180 by 174 feet (55 by 53 m). The Hospital for Ruptured and Crippled Children (now
3927-1273: Is one of the world's leading financial centers. Midtown Manhattan is the one of the world's largest central business district , with 400 million square feet (37.2 million m ) of office space in 2018. Midtown contains the headquarters of major companies, including 4Kids Entertainment (formerly), Barnes & Noble , Bloomberg L.P. , Ernst & Young , Calvin Klein , Cantor Fitzgerald , CBS Corporation , Citigroup , Colgate-Palmolive , Cushman & Wakefield , DC Comics , Deloitte , Duane Reade , Estée Lauder Companies , Foot Locker , Frederator Studios , JPMorgan Chase , Hess Corporation , Kroll Inc. , L-3 Communications , Marsh & McLennan Companies , Marvel Entertainment , MetLife , MidOcean Partners , Morgan Stanley , Nasdaq, Inc. , NBCUniversal , The New York Times Company , NexCen Brands , Paramount Global , Pfizer , Polo Ralph Lauren , Saks Incorporated ( Saks Fifth Avenue ), The Sharper Image , Simon & Schuster , Six Flags , TBWA Worldwide , Thomson Reuters , Warner Bros. Discovery , Time Warner Cable , The Travelers Companies , and Univision Communications . The New York Institute of Finance
4046-482: Is part of 10001. Other areas between 14th and 34th Streets are covered by ZIP Codes 10003, 10009, 10010, and 10011, though these are generally not considered to be part of Midtown proper. There are also thirty-three ZIP Codes assigned to individual buildings or building complexes. The United States Postal Service operates six post offices in Midtown: The James A. Farley Station , the city's main post office,
4165-430: Is patrolled by the 14th Precinct, located at 357 West 35th Street. The precincts ranked 69th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. The high per-capita crime rate can be attributed to the low population of the area, as well as the high number of crimes committed against tourists. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 25 per 100,000 people, Midtown Manhattan's rate of violent crimes per capita
4284-497: Is refreshingly restrained and in keeping with Roche Dinkeloo’s original tailored look and feel." A Times reporter stated that the design prior to the renovation had been "a Mad Men-era version of a Gesamtkunstwerk, a complete work of art". After Roche's death the following year, Goldberger said in the Times that the building's design "united his favorite forms and materials—large amounts of glass, emphatic masonry and dark Cor-ten steel—with
4403-625: The Gateway Arch , the expressionistic TWA Flight Center at JFK International Airport in New York City , Dulles International Airport outside Washington, DC , the strictly modern John Deere Headquarters in Moline, Illinois , and the CBS Headquarters building in New York City . Following this, Roche and Dinkeloo's first major commission was the Oakland Museum of California , a complex for
4522-772: The Hospital for Special Surgery ) previously occupied the plot. The building is less than one block west of the headquarters of the United Nations , and it is surrounded by the Tudor City development. The Church of the Covenant is immediately across 42nd Street to the south, and the Daily News Building is diagonally across 42nd Street and Second Avenue to the southwest. In addition, the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and Beaux-Arts Apartments are one block north. 43rd Street
4641-618: The Knights of Columbus . Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates has designed numerous corporate headquarters, office buildings, banks, museums, art centers, and even part of the Bronx Zoo . The architectural team of Roche Dinkeloo quickly became the poster child of corporate America building campuses. Many notable awards were bestowed on his partner Kevin Roche, such as the Pritzker in 1982,
4760-629: The Ladies' Mile , along Fifth Avenue from 14th to 23rd Street; and the Tenderloin , from 23rd to 42nd Street and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue . Important streets and thoroughfares The border of Midtown Manhattan is nebulous and further confused by the fact that the term "Midtown Manhattan" can be used to refer either to a district or a group of neighborhoods and districts in Manhattan: Midtown Manhattan, along with Lower Manhattan ,
4879-563: The New York City Fire Department (FDNY): The greater Midtown area between 14th Street and 59th Street contains seven additional fire stations. As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers in Midtown Manhattan are lower than the city average. In Midtown Manhattan, there were 67 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Midtown Manhattan has
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4998-553: The Upper East Side . Midtown Manhattan is located within six primary ZIP Codes . West of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10018 between 34th and 41st Streets, 10036 between 41st and 48th Streets, and 10019 between 48th and 59th Streets. East of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10016 between 34th and 40th Streets, 10017 between 40th and 49th Streets, and 10022 between 49th and 59th Streets. The area southwest of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, sometimes considered to be in Midtown,
5117-579: The Waldorf Astoria New York , which became the most expensive hotel ever sold after being purchased by the Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, for US$ 1.95 billion . In the same year, six of the top ten most expensive zip codes in the United States by median housing price were located in Manhattan, underscoring the borough's dominant position in the real estate market. When 450 Park Avenue
5236-420: The 1930s, which corroded to yield a dense oxide protective coating. He had a difficult time convincing manufacturers that it could work and would not be too thick to weld. Nonetheless, he pursued this idea and the firm continued to use these materials. As early as general manager at Eero Saarinen's form, Dinkeloo showed intense interest in the application of glass at that time. Dinkeloo saw that glass would reduce
5355-411: The 42nd Street entrance is closed to the public. The eastern elevation faces Tudor City. It is similar to the 42nd Street elevation: the northern section is clad with granite while the southern section is a recessed glass wall, and there is a diagonally-oriented pier in the center of the facade. The southeast-corner pier does not face onto the eastern elevation. The eleventh and twelfth floors, as well as
5474-664: The City University of New York, is located in Midtown South. Mercy College is situated at Herald Square . Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal are the two major railroad stations located in Midtown Manhattan. Penn Station serves Amtrak , NJ Transit , and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), while Grand Central serves the Metro-North Railroad and also serves the LIRR at Grand Central Madison . Penn Station
5593-681: The Ford Foundation Building "established [Roche] firmly as a designer on his own", where previously his work had been associated mainly with Saarinen. The Ford Foundation Building's design deviated from that of major corporate headquarters, and several critics noted such. One observer, James Burns Jr., said that "this building could not and would not have been built by a corporation", citing the Seagram Building , Lever House , and CBS Building as instances of corporate structures with distinctive designs. Several architectural critics praised
5712-448: The Ford Foundation Building as a symbol. Paul Goldberger said the building's "very presence [...] benefits the entire city", William Zinsser described it as "an act of faith in the midst of ruin", and Ada Louise Huxtable called it a "civic gesture of beauty and excellence". Another critic at The New York Times said the "design concept is fresh and radical change from the four-sided, glassed-in box". Critic Jonathan Barnett described
5831-430: The Ford Foundation Building as one of his favorites out of a list of 35 structures that he thought should have city landmark status. Despite this, Roche only visited the building "three or four times" in the four decades after its completion. Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan , serving as the city's primary central business district . Midtown
5950-542: The Ford Foundation Building's exterior and atrium, along with the exteriors of the Manufacturers Trust Company Building and the CBS Building , as city landmarks on October 21, 1997. The Landmarks Preservation Commission called the building "one of the most successful and admired modern buildings to emerge in New York City following World War II." For several years afterward, the Ford Foundation Building
6069-744: The Gold Medal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1990, and the AIA Gold Medal , but an unassuming, modest, and quiet man, Dinkeloo chose to steer far from the limelight. Dinkeloo died on June 15, 1981, in Fredericksburg, Virginia , aged 63. When Saarinen's office was designing the Deere & Company Administrative Center in 1964, Dinkeloo pushed the use of exposed steel. He found one kind that had been used for coal-hopper cars in
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#17328490715916188-611: The Port Authority would spend $ 10 billion to expand capacity and modernize the facility. The New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations each operate several routes that go through Midtown. Additionally, the PATH train to New Jersey terminates at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown. Traffic congestion is common, especially for crosstown traffic. In 2011, a new system of traffic light control, known as "Midtown in Motion"
6307-593: The Saarinen firm after they moved to Hamden, Connecticut . There, the firm moved into a home bought by Eero Saarinen, and the firm was renamed Roche Dinkeloo & Associates that same year. John Dinkeloo was head of Saarinen's Technical Department who was keenly aware of the latest innovations using avante-garde building materials from glass to the new composites. Dinkeloo, as his partner Roche, remained unpretentious throughout his career. His interest into exploring new materials or products was, as he stated, "brought about by
6426-559: The United Nations, and consulates-general accredited to the United States, in Midtown Manhattan. In addition, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) is in Midtown Manhattan. John Dinkeloo John Gerard Dinkeloo was an American architect who was active during the 20th century. He was a principal in the architectural firm Roche-Dinkeloo . A quiet and unassuming man, Dinkeloo chose to step away from
6545-753: The United States Navy and entered WWII, where he commissioned as a lieutenant and served in the Naval Construction Battalion otherwise known as the Seebees . Dinkeloo joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago, first as a designer and later as Chief of Production. In 1950, Dinkeloo left Skidmore, Owens, & Merrill and returned to his home state where he joined Eero Saarinen and Associates in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan . Saarinen quickly saw
6664-433: The United States achieved completion in Midtown Manhattan, at a selling price of US$ 238 million, for a 24,000 square feet (2,200 m ) penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park at 220 Central Park South . The COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid work models have prompted consideration of commercial-to-residential conversion within the neighborhood's real estate sector. In August 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced
6783-643: The West Side, and Murray Hill , Kips Bay , Turtle Bay , and Gramercy Park on the East Side. It is sometimes broken into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or north and south as in the New York City Police Department 's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts. Neighborhoods in the Midtown area include the following: Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as
6902-405: The art, natural history, and cultural history of California with a design featuring interrelated terraces and roof gardens. The city was planning a monumental building to house natural history, technology, and art, and Roche provided a unique concept: a building that is a series of low-level concrete structures covering a four block area, on three levels, the terrace of each level forming the roof of
7021-523: The atrium and are visible from other offices. The building was commissioned for the Ford Foundation , then the largest private foundation in the United States, after Henry Heald became foundation president. The Ford Foundation Building was announced in 1963 and completed in 1968 on the former site of the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled . Between 2015 and 2018, the Ford Foundation Building underwent
7140-433: The atrium had 18 aquatic plants in a pool, 37 trees, 148 vines, 999 shrubs, and 22,000 ground cover plants. Kiley transported some eucalyptus plants from California in the ultimately unrealized expectation that they would grow to 80 feet (24 m). The plantings were arranged around a central square fountain. Kiley had projected that his garden would have "a Darwinian struggle of the fittest", with only some plants surviving
7259-564: The atrium to spur informal encounters and also be a meeting area for the surrounding community. The public atrium contrasted with contemporary International Style structures, which had plazas outside their respective buildings. The greenery was evocative of the small parks within Tudor City to the east. Roche stated in 1963 that an indoor garden had not been constructed in a contemporary building but, when interviewed later, stated that such gardens had become more common. Despite Roche's intentions for
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#17328490715917378-577: The atrium was unwelcoming compared to the contemporary Paley Park in Midtown: "People could enter the building and walk through the atrium along a straight and narrow path but were not allowed to sit or even loiter there." Some publications, such as the first edition of the AIA Guide to New York City and the Interiors magazine, characterized the atrium as being practical, in the sense that it provided fresh air to
7497-399: The atrium's difficult climactic conditions. However, many of the original plants had to be replaced. By the late 2010s, landscape designer Raymond Jungles of Jungles Studio had replanted the atrium with subtropical flora. Because of the concentration of skyscrapers in the surrounding area, artificial light was used to illuminate the garden. The atrium was originally lit by 76 spotlights on
7616-400: The atrium, one of the relatively few areas of greenery in Midtown Manhattan, probably inspired enthusiasm for the headquarters' opening. Another critic for Interiors magazine called the atrium "amazingly interesting to explore", while Huxtable described it as "probably one of the most romantic environments ever devised by corporate man". Conversely, Herbert Muschamp wrote for the Times that
7735-417: The atrium, the Ford Foundation did not install any benches (to prevent homeless people from sleeping there overnight), nor did it offer food concessions. The atrium remained publicly accessible after the September 11 attacks in Lower Manhattan in 2001, when public spaces in some buildings across the city were closed off. The interiors were designed by Warren Platner . Almost every decorative metal piece in
7854-439: The atrium, which led to a reception room with mahogany panels on the walls that hid filing cabinets. The chief executive's suite was 895 square feet (83.1 m), containing a pantry and restroom. Another door led to a conference room that could seat 40 persons around a 12-foot-long (3.7 m) table with a leather surface. An executive dining room on the top stories was also eliminated in the 2010s. To meet fire-safety regulations,
7973-429: The brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District , is a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Sixth Avenue also has the headquarters of three of the four major U.S. television networks . Midtown is part of Manhattan Community District 5 . It is patrolled by the 14th and 18th precincts of the New York City Police Department . Geographically, the northern boundary of Midtown Manhattan
8092-430: The building that overhung other spaces. The southern elevation is on 42nd Street. The western part of this elevation is a windowless granite slab. The eastern portion consists of two large granite piers: one at the center of the facade, and one at the southeastern corner. On the eastern section of the facade, the first through tenth stories have a recessed glass wall, while the eleventh and twelfth stories are recessed at
8211-433: The building to rise up to 160 feet (49 m) before setting back. However, the building's developer Ford Foundation wanted it to be at a relatively low height as "a public gesture". Roche also wanted the building to be a main part of what author Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen called a "larger urban context". The facade includes concrete piers and walls clad with gray-pink or mahogany South Dakota granite. A significant portion of
8330-409: The building was made of brass to give the impression that it was gold. Wool rugs were set into the oak flooring, and furniture with leather and mahogany was used. Offices were generally divided into a grid of 6-foot-wide (1.8 m) modules. The offices of department heads typically measured nine modules wide, while lower-ranking officials had six-module-wide offices. Generally, senior employees occupied
8449-425: The building would become environmentally friendly and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 . The LPC approved the plans in April 2016. During the renovation, the foundation moved to temporary offices nearby. Darren Walker , president of the Ford Foundation, wanted as many of the elements of the original structure to be preserved as possible, though the presidential suite would be removed to create
8568-594: The building's completion. After the Foundation modified the location of the window-washing terminals for safety reasons, the Board approved a window-washing plan in 1969. The Ford Foundation Building was intended to provide offices for 600 workers. In 1975, during the ongoing recession , the Ford Foundation announced that it would lay off half its employees due to portfolio losses, and would consider renting out office space in
8687-462: The building's cube-like form as "an ancient symbol of power" similar to that utilized in religious institutions. Justin Davidson wrote for New York magazine in 2017: "The Ford Foundation has an imposing look of perpetuity. The foundation's mission is to battle the full panoply of timeless injustices around the world, and its home base is a see-through fortress, braced for an endless war." The atrium
8806-554: The building. The foundation's grants decreased significantly during the recession, from $ 197 million in 1973 to $ 75.8 million in 1979, though it still remained the largest private foundation in the U.S. When Franklin A. Thomas became CEO of the foundation in 1979, several rumors about his office at the building circulated, including that he had installed planters at the windows outside his office, or that he had requested all 10th floor offices except his own to be vacated. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated
8925-454: The building. The interior space covers 415,000 square feet (38,600 m). In a 1988 book, Richard Berenholtz wrote that the building was, stylistically, "a thematic descendant of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Anglo-Chinois garden and of the Victorian conservatory". The building is set back about 10 feet (3.0 m) behind the lot line . Its 12-story height was chosen because that was
9044-406: The busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere . Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world, and has been ranked as the densest central business district in the world in terms of employees, at 606,108 per square mile (234,020/km ). Midtown also ranks among the world's most expensive locations for real estate; Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has commanded
9163-409: The catwalk, are also recessed to a lesser extent than the first through tenth floors. The northern elevation is on 43rd Street. The easternmost part of the facade is a windowless granite slab. The rest of the facade is composed of glass-walled offices between four narrow granite piers that divide the windows into three vertical bays . The second-floor entrance is recessed significantly inward, creating
9282-401: The center and with nearby academic, medical, and research institutions. The New York City Economic Development Corporation 's Early Stage Life Sciences Funding Initiative and venture capital partners, including Celgene , General Electric Ventures, and Eli Lilly, committed a minimum of US$ 100 million to help launch 15 to 20 ventures in life sciences and biotechnology. Real estate is
9401-411: The citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 92% of high school students in Midtown Manhattan graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%. There are no public elementary or middle schools in Midtown. The New York City Department of Education operates the following public high schools in Midtown, serving grades 9–12: Private schools include The Beekman School , Rebecca School , and
9520-508: The complicated approach path was "not an accident but conscious contrivance". Kevin Roche , one of the architects, stated that the approach to the building was intended to be similar to that in a rural setting. Due to the topography, the 43rd Street entrance leads to the second floor, while the rear entrance on 42nd Street leads to the first floor. The spaces between the lot lines and the facades on 42nd and 43rd Streets contain red-brown brick pavers . The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
9639-523: The court and see your fellow man [...] There will be a total awareness of the foundation’s activities." According to Pelkonen, Roche had indicated in multiple interviews that the atrium's occupants "could not think of themselves as separate from their colleagues". The offices and hallways facing the atrium had sliding doors. Weathering steel is used to frame the glass walls overlooking the atrium, and I-beams supported each floor. The presidential office suite originally covered 2,535 square feet (235.5 m) but
9758-521: The elegance of [Kiley's] interior garden". The design won several architectural accolades as well. In 1968, the Ford Foundation Building and Paley Park shared an Albert S. Bard Civic Award, distributed to structures that exhibited "excellence in architecture and urban design". In addition, the building won the AIA Twenty-five Year Award in 1995. A year before the building became a city landmark in 1997, architect Robert A. M. Stern described
9877-436: The eleventh floor and 43 lights at ground level, although these lights were subsequently replaced. Several Dakota granite piers support a glass roof above the atrium, and the paths are made of red-brown brick pavers. A glass roof composed of greenhouse-like "sawtooth" panels is above the atrium. There were originally no benches in the atrium, but a single bench was subsequently added near the water feature. Roche had intended for
9996-406: The eleventh floor of the atrium contains sprinklers, a fire curtain, and an exhaust system. According to blueprints, the elevators and one set of emergency stairs are on the western side of the building, near the northwest corner. Another set of emergency stairs are on the northeast corner. There are also emergency stairs within the diagonal piers on the eastern and southern sides of the building, at
10115-472: The ends of the northern and western wings respectively. In addition, there is an auditorium and conference room in the basement. This auditorium contains a tapestry by Sheila Hicks . There are 54,000 square feet (5,000 m) of event space that can be rented for events, as well as an art gallery and office space that can be rented to other organizations. The Ford Foundation was established in Michigan in 1936 as
10234-400: The facade is a glass wall with weathering steel , and over 60,000 panes were used in the construction. These materials were said to "harmonize" with Tudor City's red-brick facades; although Roche criticized Tudor City as "a phony piece of stage-set architecture", he still perceived the setting as containing "a fairly nice character". The weathering steel was used because exposed structural steel
10353-560: The foundation bought land facing 42nd and 43rd Streets for its headquarters. At the time, it was relatively rare for private foundations to construct headquarters that were highly publicized. However, the foundation's president at the time, Henry Townley Heald , had previously headed the Illinois Institute of Technology , where he had overseen the construction of a new campus. The building was to be designed by Joseph N. Lacy, John Dinkeloo, and Kevin Roche of Eero Saarinen Associates. During
10472-622: The heat load. When the firm began designing the Bell Lab Development Center in Holmdel, N.J., in 1962, Dinkeloo, inspired by Bell Lab's work with metallized polyester film on air balloons, developed a process of putting the solution on glass and then laminating the two panes in a vacuum so that it would not stripe. By the time the firm was designing the John Deere Headquarters Building in Moline, Illinois , Dinkeloo
10591-428: The investigation of mirrored glass to see how it was made (metal particles were deposited on it in a vacuum chamber). Also at that time (late 1950s), the space industry, and especially Bell Laboratories was using an extra thin metallized polyester film for air balloons. Dinkeloo then found someone laminating the film between two pieces of glass. But he wasn't satisfied completely. Since the metallized film wasn't applied in
10710-483: The lack of research in construction materials." Two materials that he particularly hastened in developing were weathering steel and reflective glass which changed the face of architecture. Weathering steel received its first architectural application in the Deere & Co. Administrative Center in 1964, the Ford Foundation Building, the Knights of Columbus Tower, and the adjoining Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Reflective glass
10829-612: The limelight along with his equally modest partner Kevin Roche , though both had designed some of the most iconic buildings in the world. Dinkeloo was born in Holland, Michigan, to William Dinkeloo and Bessie (nee) Brouwer in 1918. Dinkeloo went to Hope College in his hometown, then finished his education at the University of Michigan in 1942, received a Bachelor in Architectural Engineering. After graduating, Dinkeloo joined
10948-625: The most visually arresting was a glass used for the Irwin Union Bank & Trust addition in Columbus, Indiana ." Dinkeloo sprayed metallized film on clear glass in broad stripes alternating with bands of green laminated glass to give the space a pattern and transparency of light filtered through venetian blinds. One of his most significant innovations was the use of metalized, mirror-like glass in exterior walls, which deflects heat and substantially reduces air-conditioning requirements. Dinkeloo began
11067-510: The neighborhood was 64.1% (18,351) White , 4.6% (1,310) African American , 0.1% (34) Native American , 20.8% (5,942) Asian , 0% (8) Pacific Islander , 0.3% (92) from other races , and 2% (569) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 8.1% (2,324) of the population. The entirety of Community District 5, which comprises Midtown Manhattan, had 53,120 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.8 years. This
11186-417: The north and west sides of the building. The northern portions of the fourth through sixth stories are slightly set back behind the floors underneath them, creating three terraces that face the atrium. Planters were placed atop the terraces. The spaces were designed specifically to have offices facing either the atrium or outside onto 43rd Street. Roche said: "It will be possible in this building to look across
11305-443: The offices that faced the atrium, which Pelkonen called "a utopian suggestion suggesting a cathedral of labor". The effect was blunted by the fact that there were gypsum walls separating the private offices from the corridors behind them. In the late 2010s, these walls were replaced with 42-inch-high (110 cm) workstations, allowing a full view across the atrium. Most of the building's stories were designed with usable space only on
11424-701: The offices where they were at the last minute. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Midtown Manhattan. Silicon Alley , the common metonym for New York City's high tech sector, is based in Midtown South , specifically the Flatiron District . Prominent Silicon Alley companies in Midtown include AppNexus , Blue Apron , Gilt , Betterment , Oscar , SoFi , Rent the Runway , Warby Parker , and WeWork . The technology sector has been expanding across Midtown Manhattan since 2010. The biotechnology sector
11543-445: The offices. At the time of the building's completion, there was no specific zoning guidance regarding indoor public spaces in New York City buildings; the city government later introduced zoning codes specifically for indoor public areas. After the 2018 renovation, Archpaper said "you’d never know the crisp and clean, 415,000-square-foot building felt darker and smaller just four years ago." Metropolis magazine said "The reimagining
11662-406: The one below, i.e. a museum (in three sections) with a park on its roof. This kind of innovative solution went on to become Roche's trademark. This project was followed by the equally highly acclaimed Ford Foundation Building in New York City, considered the first large-scale architectural building in the U.S. to devote a substantial portion of its space to horticultural pursuits. Its famous atrium
11781-461: The other, for their common aim to be reinforced." This philosophy influenced his decision to place offices only on two sides of the atrium. During construction, in April 1967, a construction crane fell onto 42nd Street and injured four people. The building opened on December 8, 1967, and had cost about $ 16 million. Due to the design of the building's glass walls, it was difficult for window washers to clean
11900-477: The planning process, Roche created colorized diagrams of the site, which he presented to the Ford Foundation's leadership. Final plans for the Ford Foundation Building were announced in September 1964 at a cost of $ 10 million. At the time, construction was to begin the next month and be finished in 1966. In designing the building, Roche said: "It's really very important in that kind of community for each to be aware of
12019-644: The potential in Dinkeloo, and was named partner in 1956. While with the Saarinen firm, Dinkeloo was involved with the TWA Terminal at Kennedy (Idlewild) Airport , the Dulles Airport Main Terminal , the St. Louis Gateway Arch , and both Morse College and Ezra Stiles College at Yale University . After Eero Saarinen's untimely death in 1961, Dinkeloo and fellow partners, Kevin Roche and Joseph N. Lacy, continued
12138-463: The same height as the second-lowest setback on the adjacent office tower on 42nd Street. The design was intended to highlight the Ford Foundation Building as the eastern terminus of the succession of commercial structures along 42nd Street's northern sidewalk. Roche stated that the building could have been built up to 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 times its ultimate size and thus have more office space that could be rented. In addition, zoning regulations allowed
12257-408: The structure, as they could only access the facade from the ground. As such, only the windows on the lowest two floors could initially be cleaned. The New York State Board of Standards and Appeals, which oversaw window-washing operations for the state's buildings, refused to approve a plan for the Ford Foundation Building's windows to be cleaned, so the windows gathered dust for the first two years after
12376-917: The subject of special exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art , the Architectural Association of Ireland in Dublin, and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters . A 2012 exhibition, Kevin Roche: Architecture as Environment, opened at the Yale School of Architecture in New Haven, Connecticut, and has been viewed at The Museum of the City of New York, and the Building Museum in Washington, DC. Dinkeloo
12495-509: The world's highest retail rents and is the most expensive shopping street in the world. Midtown Manhattan is the country's largest commercial, entertainment , and media center, and is also a growing financial and fintech center. Many of New York City's skyscrapers , including its tallest hotels and apartment towers , are located in Midtown Manhattan. The neighborhood hosts commuters and residents working in its offices, hotels, and retail establishments, tourists and students. Times Square,
12614-403: Was $ 101,981, though the median income in Midtown individually was $ 120,854. In 2018, an estimated 11% of Midtown Manhattan residents lived in poverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. One in twenty residents (5%) were unemployed, compared to 7% in Manhattan and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,
12733-480: Was adding a bronze metal spray to the process. By the mid-1960s, when Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo had officially changed the name of the firm, another period was beginning technically as well as architecturally. "The buildings/products industry was catching up with architectural visions... No longer was there was funding to conduct painstaking research as in the past. Nevertheless, Dinkeloo did continue to refine and investigate new ideas." Some did not take off. "One of
12852-486: Was also the subject of critical acclaim and inspired the inclusion of indoor gardens in other buildings citywide. Goldberger called the atrium "one of the city's most spectacular interior spaces", and Barnett described it as "a tremendously generous gift" for the city. Vincent Scully characterized the structure as having a "military scale" with a "sultanic inner garden". A critic in the British magazine Country Life said that
12971-503: Was announced, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. Approximately 750,000 vehicles enter Midtown Manhattan on a fall business day. According to the 2011 Traffic Data Report for New York State, 777,527 vehicles a day went through select toll facilities into Manhattan. The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division , First Department, is located at the Appellate Division Courthouse at 25th Street and Madison Avenue
13090-505: Was at 477 Madison Avenue, where the foundation leased nine floors. In 1953, the New York location became the main office when the Pasadena office closed, and the foundation leased three more floors at 477 Madison Avenue the next year. The foundation's activities were changed in 1962 to focus on education, public, economic, and international affairs, as well as the arts and sciences. The next year,
13209-602: Was completed in 1900 by architect James Brown Lord , who used a third of the construction budget to decorate the building with statues and murals. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration operates its New York office on the 22nd floor at 135 West 50th Street . Several countries, including Algeria , Argentina , The Bahamas , China , Costa Rica , Germany , Ireland , Israel , Jamaica , Japan , Luxembourg , Mexico , Morocco , Saudi Arabia , Singapore , South Africa , South Korea , United Kingdom , and Ukraine , have Permanent Missions accredited to
13328-448: Was designed with the notion of having urban green-space accessible to all and is an early example of the application of environmental psychology in architecture. The building was recognized in 1968 by Architectural Record as "a new kind of urban space". The acclaim that greeted the Oakland Museum and Ford Foundation earned Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates a ranking at the top of their profession. Shortly afterward they began
13447-428: Was divided into three conference rooms in the 2010s. The eleventh and twelfth floors have usable space on all four sides of the building, with an open plan on all four sides. At the centers of these floors are square openings overlooking the atrium. The eleventh and twelfth floors overhang the lower floors as well as the atrium. As originally designed, the eleventh floor had a 130-foot-long (40 m) balcony overhanging
13566-886: Was first used in the Bell Telephone Laboratories Development Center of 1962. The glass proved to be so successful in its reflective quality that eventually the entire building was sheathed in mirror glass. In 1951, he joined the firm of Eero Saarinen and Associates. His future partner, Kevin Roche (1922-2019), joined the firm in 1951. Dinkeloo became the Principal Technical developer and head of Production to Saarinen and assisted him on all projects from that time until Saarinen's death in September 1961. In 1966, Roche and Dinkeloo formed Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates and completed Saarinen's projects. They completed 12 major unfinished Saarinen builds, including some of Saarinen's best-known work:
13685-648: Was keen in finding ways in which "form and techniques would continue to be inseparable-where architecture, in the best modernist tradition, would draw equally from both a formal image and a technical idea." Dinkeloo's last project was to develop a more rigid aluminum siding of flat strips for the General Foods in Rye, New York and an insurance building for the John Deere headquarters. The works of John Dinkeloo are mutually inclusive along with those of Kevin Roche, and have been
13804-516: Was moving its North American headquarters from Midtown to Melville , New York , in Suffolk County on Long Island . Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Midtown Manhattan was 28,630, a change of 2,823 (9.9%) from the 25,807 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 692.81 acres (280.37 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 41.3 inhabitants per acre (26,400/sq mi; 10,200/km ). The racial makeup of
13923-438: Was not allowed per the city's fire-safety codes at the time. The building contained three large diagonal granite piers, oriented northwest–southeast at a 45-degree angle to the street; Roche said these piers were intended to give visitors the impression that they were "partially in the building" even before entering. The design used reinforced concrete for simple masses and for structural supports, and it used steel for sections of
14042-408: Was sold on July 2, 2007, for US$ 510 million, about US$ 1,589 per square foot (US$ 17,104/m ), it broke the barely month-old record for an American office building of US$ 1,476 per square foot (US$ 15,887/m ) based on the sale of 660 Madison Avenue . In 2014, Manhattan was home to six of the top ten zip codes in the United States by median housing price. In 2019, the most expensive home sale ever in
14161-492: Was the youngest building to have city landmark status, having been completed 30 years prior to its designation. The design of the Ford Foundation Building, as well as its namesake's wealth, preserved the building during the early 21st century, when several other 1960s-era structures by Roche and other architects were being destroyed. In 2015, the Ford Foundation announced that the building would be renovated for $ 190 million. The building no longer complied with fire-safety codes, and
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