MODERN MASTERPIECE AT 23 BEEKMAN PLACE
Tucked away along the East Side of Midtown Manhattan is an esteemed enclave of historically grand old townhouses and stately prewar residential apartment buildings known as Beekman Place. Spanning just 2 bucolic blocks between East 49th and East 51st Streets on an esteemed, idyllic bluff overlooking the East River - it is one of the shortest streets on the island of Manhattan where due to the unique and secluded character has attracted a continuously changing roster of prominent residents, including Paul Rudolph, one of the most celebrated and innovative American architects of the 20th century.
The influential modernist and former dean of the Yale School of Architecture purchased a neo-Georgian townhouse at 23 Beekman Place in 1976. The now internationally celebrated structure is recognized as the most important modernist living space in New York City with an unmistakable three-story steel-and-concrete penthouse jutting out above the street. The present day exterior of Rudolph’s nine-story townhouse has remained virtually unchanged over decades of undergoing transformations and renovations, and while Rudolph completed only six buildings in New York City - 23 Beekman Place stands out as one of the artists most personal and experimental designs throughout his prolific career.
The now-famous and remarkable cantilevered penthouse earned two awards from the American Institute of Architecture and was described by architect-critic Michael Sorkin as,
“one of the most amazing pieces of modern urban domestic architecture produced in this country,”
A structure of four interconnected levels of the penthouse are encompassed by cantilevered floors, mezzanines, bridges, floating stairs, steel beams, and pergolas. Furthermore, Rudolph’s obsession with reflective surfaces can be seen throughout, as he wanted natural light to pour through top-to-bottom with wedged mirrors and Mylar everywhere. From the foyer, you can see up through various slits and peepholes to the roof, while many of the rooms boast levitating stairs with light deflecting from every angle.
Halstead Property is pleased to represent the the three-floor duplex gem where wondrous East River views can be found among all the famed characteristics of architecture royalty, Paul Rudolph.
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Click here to see more of this legendary Manhattan residence, and visit the agent websites of Halstead property’s Joanne Rockett and Jeffrey Peckage to learn more.