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The Modulightor Building

Excellent
  • Modern Movement
  • Identity of Building/Site
  • History of Building/Site

The Modulightor Building

Credit

Todd Hido

Site overview

The Modulightor Building was designed by legendary 20th Century Modernist architect Paul Rudolph and is located in the heart of Manhattan’s Decorative Arts district.

 

The building includes MODULIGHTOR’s ground-floor showroom (plus a second floor prototyping area and a fabrication center on three basement floors — the fixtures are assembled in-house). Most notable — and frequently visited — is the amazing, light-filled Duplex apartment on the 3rd and 4th floors, which was designed by Rudolph.

 

Description taken from Modulightor.

The Modulightor Building

Site overview

The Modulightor Building was designed by legendary 20th Century Modernist architect Paul Rudolph and is located in the heart of Manhattan’s Decorative Arts district.

 

The building includes MODULIGHTOR’s ground-floor showroom (plus a second floor prototyping area and a fabrication center on three basement floors — the fixtures are assembled in-house). Most notable — and frequently visited — is the amazing, light-filled Duplex apartment on the 3rd and 4th floors, which was designed by Rudolph.

 

Description taken from Modulightor.

How to Visit

Available for photo shoots, student tours, private events and business functions for a contribution to support the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation by appointment.

 

An Open House takes place on the first Friday of every month.

 

Explore Modern House Partnership

Your Docomomo US membership card will grant reciprocal access and discounts when registering for a tour. 

 

More sites in the Explore Modern Partnership

 

Location

246 East 58th Street
New York, NY, 10022
More visitation information

Case Study House No. 21

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Credit:

Todd Hido

Designer(s)

Paul Rudolph

Architect

Paul M. Rudolph (1918-1997) was born a minister’s son in Elkton, Kentucky.

Inspired by architecture at an early age, Rudolph studied architecture as an undergraduate at Alabama Polytechnic (now Auburn University), and after a brief period in the Navy during WWII, he successfully completed graduate studies at Harvard under Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius.

Rudolph was a pioneering architect in Sarasota, Florida, a major figure of the ‘Sarasota School of Architecture,' which gained international attention for innovative solutions to the modern American home.

He was Dean of the Yale School of Architecture from 1958-1965, during which his best known work, the Yale Art & Architecture Building, was completed and became both a Modernist icon and a topic of controversy.

After his tenure at Yale, Rudolph continued during the next 30 years to create some of Modernism's most unique and powerful architecture.

Despite the wane in Rudolph’s popularity during the dominance of Post-Modernism in the late 70’s and 80’s, his work and legacy has had a profound impact on the architecture of our era.

Rudolph, who is today considered one of America’s great Late Modernist architects, was an inspirational mentor to those whom he taught. His former students include some of architecture’s most internationally respected architects such as Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, and Robert A.M. Stern, among many others.

Nationality

American

Other designers

Architect of the Second Phase: Mark Squeo

Related News

Celebrating the centennial of Paul Rudolph

Newsletter, docomomo

October 25, 2018

Explore Modern Houses Partnership expands

Explore Modern

October 15, 2019

Glass House joins Explore Modern Houses Partnership

Explore Modern

November 08, 2019

Liljestrand House joins Explore Modern Partnership

Membership, Hawaii, Explore Modern

December 06, 2023
Commission

1989

Completion

2015

Commission / Completion details

The First Phase of the building (floors 1-to-4, plus 3 cellars) was built from 1989 to 1993. Rudolph was the architect of the First Phase.

 

The Second Phase (floors 5 and 6, plus a roof deck) was built from 2007 - 2015. The architect for the Second Phase was Mark Squeo - and he was chosen because he worked for Rudolph, and was familiar with the "design DNA" of Rudolph's approach.

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