Building on the society’s desire to grow and change into an institution relevant in the 21st century, galleries championing women’s history and that of the underserved and oppressed have also been created. PBDW Architects’ design for the fourth-floor galleries took its cues from the building’s iron trusses, creating a tall, vaulted space that accommodates the institution’s many artifacts in new and varied ways between the trusses.
The most recent transformation at the historical society is the installation of a reduced-scale reproduction of the White House Oval Office. PBDW Architects orchestrated the rigorous research and painstaking attention to detail that brought this space to life. This historically faithful recreation allows the public to experience history and the present close-up and in-person.
The historical society, working with PBDW Architects, continues to adapt its galleries and spaces to reflect the needs of a modern institution that remains rooted in its own history.
MAINTAINING A MESSAGE
The 19th century industrialist Peter Cooper built the Foundation Building in New York City in 1858 to house his vision of a free and open institution for men and women of all races. Cooper strongly believed education was the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.
The design of the building by Frederick A. Petersen embodied the open and aspirational ideals of the forward-thinking Cooper. The smooth brownstone facades are a taut backdrop for the monumental windows that create the openness that characterizes the institution.
As the uses inside the building changed over time, so did the building itself. New floors and skylights were added and removed, and the entire interior was rebuilt to John Hejduk’s 1970s modern design to accommodate the art and architecture departments.
When PBDW Architects started work on the building in 1997, the facade had undergone a disfiguring campaign that had meant to revive the aging brownstone by applying a cementitious coating. After this coating failed, only the chisel marks used to create a bond for the stucco remained. Petersen’s taut flat facades had melted into an undistinguished lump.
Before setting out to design the restoration of the building’s facades, PBDW Architects undertook a master plan that researched the building’s history, use, present conditions and the school’s plans for the future. This phase allowed the architects to understand why the building was built, what it symbolized, what had changed over time and what was significant to restore.
Petersen’s renderings offered the first clues to the original intent, as did Cooper’s philosophy of an open, inclusive venue for learning. It became evident that the selection of smooth flat brownstone for the building ashlar was a deliberate choice to create a foil for the large amount of glass and decorative window surrounds. Not only did the chiseled surface need to be smoothed to prevent future deterioration, but to bring back the contrast between the flat ashlar stone and the window surrounds.
Equally important to the reading of the exterior were the major renovations that contribute to the modern viewing of the building, including the distinctive late 19th century saw-toothed skylights and the cylindrical elevator shaft that Hejduk extended to the roof in the 1970s. These significant features had taken on historical importance that contributed to the overall reading of the building.
One item discovered during construction that was not restored was the word UNION spelled out on the south facade. It is difficult to make out but the word is visible in an image of the building taken circa 1876. Whether this south-facing sign was meant to stir up support for that cause in the years immediately before the Civil War or was simply a bit of modesty on Cooper’s part, one of Cooper Union’s most famous events was the “Right Makes Might” speech that Abraham Lincoln gave in its Great Hall in 1860, pivotal to his nomination for president. PBDW Architects chose, however, to maintain the words COOPER UNION that have graced the south facade of the building for the past nearly 100 years and give credit to Peter Cooper for founding this remarkable institution.
The result is a long-term restoration of the building’s facades, not only ensuring their longevity and weather resistance, but continuing to represent the open and free institution that Peter Cooper imagined.
As architects, our historic buildings are important to us for the stories they tell, and an important role for any firm is to steward these buildings into the future while ensuring their stories are preserved. For PBDW Architects, and many of their colleagues throughout the industry, the design of a building restoration is rooted in the history of the building and its place—both its provenance and potential—and our responsibility is to safeguard its unique significance for generations to come through rigorous research, client collaboration and visionary design solutions. PBDW Architects looks forward to continuing this necessary work as the firm is presented with new preservation, restoration, and retrofit efforts for institutions and clients from all walks of life.