150 East 45th Street: Children’s Aid Society

Lord Memorial Building, Children’s Aid Society
150 East 45th Street
Gibbons & Heidtmann, 1950 (four floors added in 1967)

Located mid block on East 45th Street, just west of Third Avenue, the Lord Memorial Building of the Children’s Aid Society is a rare, intact example of early International Style Modernism. Crisp, original metal casement strip windows alternate with stack-bond, glazed, grey brick spandrels resulting in a competent essay. The solidity of the side walls of matte red brick play counterpoint to the overall sense of transparency of this ‘L’ shaped building. Here the emphasis is on the juxtaposition of color, texture, and materials within an edited palate of minimalist Modernism.

The original three-story structure was planned with a foundation and steel structure to accommodate the addition of four stories, added in 1967 by the same firm. The Children’s Aid Society has occupied this building since its completion.