When a renovation was proposed for the magnificent modernist Ford Foundation in New York, the project was met by cries of concern from die-hard preservationists, whose idea of do-no-harm often seems to be do-not-touch. The landmarked granite and Cor-Ten tower, designed by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo and opened in 1968, was one of the first such buildings to create an indoor urban garden—designed by Dan Kiley—in the midst of its soaring 13-story glass-roofed atrium, with offices surrounding it on three sides. From those elegant perches, furnished with custom pieces by Warren Platner, the Foundation’s program officers dispensed millions in annual grants for everything from the arts to AIDS research, from international development to civil rights legal funds. But it turned out the structure needed help, too: it was filled with asbestos, there was no sprinkler system, and it wasn’t ADA compliant. And, while the building is “a masterpiece,” says the Foundation’s president Darren Walker, aspects of the design sent the wrong message for the 21st century. “It was elitist and hierarchal then,” he notes. “Today, philanthropy has to be transparent and open.” [Watch a video interview with Darren Walker.]
Now after a two-year, $205-million facelift, sensitively undertaken by Gensler, we can say to those who feared this architectural icon would be ruined: you can relax.
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