Modulightor Building: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:08, 22 May 2025

Revision as of 15:16, 22 May 2025

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=== Original structure ===

[[File:Modulightor Building 2006.jpg|thumb|The facade seen in 2006]]

The four-story building was constructed for Modulightor. It has seen commercial and residential uses, and later housed a gallery on its top floors.<ref name="NYT 2018" /><ref name="6sqft" /> Originally, Donald Luckenbill oversaw the project between 1989 and 1990;<ref name="NYCL p. 11">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2023|ps=.|p=11}}</ref> Luckenbill reflected that Rudolph "didhad conducted hundreds of facade studies forof this modestthe building"'s facade.<ref name="nyt-2004-07-08" /> Mark Squeo took over the design after 1990.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Rudolph frequently added, adjusted, or removed features during the building's construction, which led to persistent shortages.<ref name="p207655256" /><ref name="Wainwright v727" /> The Paul Rudolph Institute's president Kelvin Dickinson described the Modulightor Building as a passion project of Rudolph's, saying:estimating "Ithat think heRudolph ran out of money three times."<ref name="Barron 2025" /> Wagner later recalled Rudolph telling him, "Ernst, I remain an architect", despite Wagner's trepidation about Rudolph's persistence.<ref name="p207655256" />

The facade panels at the front and rear were being installed by mid-1992, and the beams on the facade were being painted by early 1993.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> A temporary [[certificate of occupancy]] was granted for the building's first basement, the ground-story retail space, and an office mezzanine in May 1993. In June of the following year, another certificate of occupancy was granted for both basement levels and the four above-ground stories.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref name=":0" /> The temporary certificate of occupancy provided for two duplex apartments on the third and fourth floors—one each on the south and north sides of both floors.<ref name="NYCL (2025) p. 11" /> By that July, Rudolph had completed plans for the duplexes<ref name="NYCL (2025) p. 11" /> and began leasing out these apartments.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref name="Rohan p. 223">{{cite book |last=Rohan |first=Timothy M. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Architecture_of_Paul_Rudolph/MkmPAwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%2522modulightor%2522 |title=The Architecture of Paul Rudolph |date=July 10, 2014 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-14939-5 |page=223}}</ref> Rental income from these apartments was used to help pay off the building's mortgage.<ref name="Rohan p. 223" /> The Modulightor store's space was completed in 1996.<ref name="NY2000" />