Welcome to the Archives of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation. The purpose of this online database is to function as a tool for scholars, students, architects, preservationists, journalists and other interested parties. The archive consists of photographs, slides, articles and publications from Rudolph’s lifetime; physical drawings and models; personal photos and memorabilia; and contemporary photographs and articles.
Unless otherwise noted, all images and drawings are copyright © The Estate of Paul Rudolph and The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation. Please speak with a representative of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation to get permission to use any drawings or photos. Drawings, sketches and other materials produced by Rudolph’s architectural office at the Library of Congress are maintained there for preservation, but the intellectual property rights belong to the Paul Rudolph Estate and Ernst Wagner, founder of the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation.
LOCATION
Address: 210 Central Park South
City: New York
State: New York
Zip Code: 10019
Nation: United States
STATUS
Type: Office
Status: Demolished
TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1967
Site Area:
Floor Area: 1,830 ft² (170 m²)
Height:
Floors (Above Ground): 1
Building Cost:
PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client: Dr. Nathan A. Shore (1914-1984)
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
Landscape:
Structural:
MEP:
QS/PM:
SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
Subcontractor(s):
Dr. Nathan Shore Dental Office
The project scope is to design dental offices for Dr. Nathan Shore (1914-1984), a specialist in correcting a jaw condition called temporomandibular joint syndrome--a subject about which he wrote many articles and a book, and for which he devised a test to determine whether the pain was medical or dental in origin.
The offices are located in a windowless space in mid-town Manhattan. Rudolph divides this into 19 spaces: four dental operatories, two hygienist operatories, two consultation rooms, an audiovisual room, a business office, a reception room, a kitchen for staff use, an X-ray room, two laboratories, and two washrooms, all connected by a continuous corridor.
Almost all spaces are curvinilear in plan, as is the corridor which connects them. Any remaining spaces, between the curved walls, were utilized for storage.
The reception area contains a sculpture by Jason Seley made from hubcaps, a artist known for creating artworks from chromium steel automobile body parts.
Although suite corridors were narrow, circular mirrors mounted on walls, and varied ceiling heights create an illusion of space.
Furniture includes chairs by Charles Eames, from Herman Miller; and by Warren Platner, from Knoll International
“ Dentistry in the round is one way to describe the unique dental suite designed for Dr. Nathan Allen Shore by architect Paul Rudolph of Yale. . . .
The circular motif is repeated in various ways that add to the total effect. Lighting in the operatories, for instance, is diffused from a circular well in the ceiling across which the dental light slides on a track integrated with the ceiling diffusor. A curved Plexiglass screen divides the business office from the reception room, making each space seem larger. A circular rendition of aspects of the temporomandibular joint decorates the door leading to the operatories. On the other side of the receptionist’s window is a floor-to-ceiling hubcap sculpture by Jason Seley. And between these two doors, a complete floor plan of the suite with its many circular areas is painted on the office divider. The circular theme is also restated in a series of mirrors, 2 inches in diameter, placed at eye level along the corridor.”
“Besides creating an illusion of space, the design aims at quiet and a sense of privacy. To this end, circulation of patients and staff is kept to a minimum, and although there are eight staff members and a steady stream of patients, the suite never seems to be crowded. One reason is that the movement of traffic is in the round rather than back and forth.
When a patient arrives for his appointment, the secretary opens the door by remote control and admits him to the reception area.””
“Over and above a sense of spaciousness, quiet, and privacy, there are decorative details throughout that make a positive contribution to patient’s dental health education. These include the representations of the temporomandibular joint and a series of dental diagrams on the walls of the operatories.”
“Doctor Shore finds that his staff is happy in the well-designed quarters and that patients enjoy learning from the dental diagrams which, he says, ‘tend to lead to dental education rather than small talk.’ Functional design, he says, seems well suited to a most progressive profession.”
DRAWINGS - Design Drawings / Renderings
DRAWINGS - Construction Drawings
DRAWINGS - Shop Drawings
PHOTOS - Project Model
PHOTOS - During Construction
PHOTOS - Completed Project
PHOTOS - Current Conditions
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION
RELATED DOWNLOADS
PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Farrell, Eileen, "Functional Design based on Pattern of Work in a Dental Suite", The Journal of the American Dental Association,
Volume 83, Issue 1, 1971, Pages 30-34