|
Heard but not designated
Alvar Alto rooms at Kaufmann
Conference Center
Address: 809 United Nations Plaza,
New York, NY 10017
Kaufmann Conference Center
A New York conference room On the 12th floor of 809 United Nations
Plaza in New York City, home of the Institute of International Education
(IIE),
Architect: Alvar Aalto
Built: 1965
LPC Action: LPC held a hearing for the Alvar Aalto rooms in 2001
The issues surrounding the designation of the Alvar Aalto rooms
are more complex than pure aesthetics. The LPC claims, only building
interiors that are “customarily open or accessible to the
public” can be designated interior landmarks. This is did
not seem an issue since up until recently the conference center,
comprising meeting rooms, a lecture hall, and elevator lobby, were
available to the public as rental space for functions and events.
Faced with a shortage of space though, the IIE closed its doors
and has been using the meeting rooms as “temporary office
space,” said Derrick Wilson, the IIE’s telecommunications
manager. There has also been a security issue. The building is located
across the street from the United Nations, and therefore limited
access is granted into the building. The building also houses the
UN’s missions of the governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar,
creating even more security restrictions.
HDC Response: Simeon Bankoff,
executive director of the Historic Districts Council (HDC), agrees
and sees the closing of the space as a pushback against landmark
designation. “By fighting landmarks designation, it makes
one very concerned about the space,” said Bankoff.
This facility is one of only four Aalto-designed
projects in the United States and the only one in New York The center
was commissioned by architecture professor Edgar J. Kaufmann for
the Institute of International Education. The room is 4,500- square-foot.
The architectural detailing include gently undulating ceiling and
walls, an abstract forest-like sculpture of bent birch wood, and
blue porcelain tiles. This Aalto interior embodies many of the architect’s
most-admired design elements. The original Aalto-designed lighting
fixtures and furniture, including black leather and birch chairs
and a rolling bar, are still intact.
To Support Contact: Council
Member Daniel R. Garodnick
For More Info: Institute
of International Education, Edgar J. Kaufmann Confernece Center
|
