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: 927 Fifth Avenue
City: New York
State: New York
Zip Code: 10021
Nation: United States

STATUS
Type: Residence
Status: Built

TECHNICAL DATA
Date(s): 1970
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Building Cost:

PROFESSIONAL TEAM
Client:
Architect: Paul Rudolph
Associate Architect:
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Structural:
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SUPPLIERS
Contractor:
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Edersheim Residence

New York’s Fifth Avenue is populated by a series of luxury apartment houses, and the building that housed this apartment was designed by one of the city’s most distinguished classical firms: Warren & Wetmore—the architects of Grand Central. Within this conservative masonry envelope, Paul Rudolph poured a consummately Modern—and adventurous—experience: a full floor of spaces with rousing color, animating curves, and stimulating materials.
Yet, even with a quantity of architectural drama, the cumulative effect is neither ostentatious nor theatrical—instead: the careful modulation of space and material choices create a series of enveloping, cozy, and functional rooms—well-suited to a large and active family.
Peggy Edersheim Kalb, who moved into the apartment with her family when she was eight, gave her assessment four decades later: “… I hold on to the knowledge that I was lucky to grow up in a work of art, to experience architecture in a visceral way, and to appreciate just how special ‘different’ can feel.”
One can see the genetic material for this project in the apartment that Rudolph had earlier created for himself, when he was renting at 23 Beekman Place. In both locations he deployed embracing curves, alluring textures, inventive light sources, and a fearless sense of color. Moreover, he was able to incorporate seemingly incongruous elements: displaying a row of casts of Louis Sullivan panels in his apartment; and the Edersheim’s collection of Delft pottery in theirs—and in ways that were harmonious and showed respect to those distinguished and beautiful objects.