The Inside Of This UES Apartment Could Be NYC's Next Landmark
Patch
Miranda Levingston - December 12, 2024
Photo : Kelvin Dickinson
UPPER EAST SIDE, NY —The iconic Modulightor Building on East 58th Street was designated as a landmark in 2023 for its unique exterior designed by architect Paul Rudolph, and this week, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to consider landmarking one of the duplex apartments inside the building as well.
On Tuesday, the Commission voted to add a public hearing about the Modulightor's third-floor apartment to its calendar, which is the first step in the landmarking process.
Once a building's interior is landmarked, the Commission must approve any alteration, reconstruction, demolition, or new construction affecting the designated apartment to protect the historical significance of the architecture and design.
The duplex, which includes the third and fourth floors of the building, operates as a house museum for Rudolph, a famous 20th-century architect known for brutalist and modernist shapes.
The interior of the Modulightor duplex features an all-white, late-20th-century modern design, with cantilevered internal balconies, built-in furniture, and a double-height ceiling, Kelvin Dickinson, the president and executive director of the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, said.
"The interiors kind of flow around you, and you never actually pay attention to the fact that the space is only 18 feet wide, because the design has you looking up, which makes the space feel much bigger," Dickinson said.
"In [Rudolph's] mind, good design is not about putting marble on walls — it's about the actual use of the space and how the space is designed such that it is never boring. I think that's what makes the apartment so interesting and why we've opened it to the public, and we get sold out every time."
To qualify as an interior landmark, the space must be at least 30 years old and regularly open to the public, the Commission said.
The duplex operates as a museum for the architect with regular in-person tours and was first built in 1993, according to the Commission.
The building first opened to the public in 2002, after the architect's death, when Rudolph's partner opened the space to let people walk through, Dickinson said.
"His story is fascinating because his designs were not something people were used to. He was a very, very late modernist, a strict modernist, and if you like his work, then you like it. He didn't change his style for anybody."
The public hearing hasn't been scheduled yet, but could take place as soon as January, Dickinson said. When more details on the hearing become available, they will be announced here.
The Modulightor building is located at 246 East 58th St. right on the border of the Upper East Side and Midtown East.
Open House tours of the duplex are offered twice a month. Learn more here.
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