1014 Fifth Avenue - Design Brochure

REVITALIZING 1014 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

After much anticipation, the German government approved plans in 2023 to convert the former Goethe House at 1014 Fifth Avenue in New York City into a new platform for trans-Atlantic dialogue and exchange.

Based on the design proposal An Open House / A Sharing House / A House as Home

by British architect Sir David Chipperfield, together with New York-based KARO Architects and Paratus Group, 1014 will yet again become a vibrant and welcoming place for experts and creatives from both sides of the Atlantic.

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The six-story Beaux-Art style “The trans-Atlantic partnership building in Manhattan’s continues to be of critical Upper East Side, across from importance as disruptions to the Metropolitan Museum our political and economic of Art, has belonged to the landscape, technological Federal Republic of Germany advances, and a changing since 1960. Once home to planet affect the way we live,” former U.S. Ambassador to says Andreas Fibig, Chairman Berlin, James W. Gerard, and President of 1014. it then served as the headquarters of the Goethe- The Chipperfield design creates a modern, open, and Institut New York. Since 2017, 1014 Fifth Avenue inviting public space while preserving the domestic has provided a space for ideas organized by the character of the townhouse. independent not-for-profit It is mindful of its history organization 1014 Inc. while opening the space for contemporary use. The beautiful building with a rich cultural tradition and transAtlantic legacy stands once again on the cusp of change.

Having lived in the adjoining THE home at No. 1015 Fifth AMBASSADOR’S Avenue since 1919, former U.S. Ambassador James W. HOME Gerard and his wife, Mary

“Molly” D. Gerard, bought 1014 Fifth Avenue from their neighbors in 1926. Before moving in, the Gerards renovated and expanded the townhouse.

After returning from Berlin in 1917, James W. Gerard devoted his efforts to Democratic Party politics as a speaker, fundraiser, and advisor. He decried antiSemitism in the U.S. and abroad and – as a confidant of Presidents Roosevelt and Truman – served as an envoy for the 1937 coronation of King George VI.

At 1014 Fifth Avenue, Mary and James Gerard hosted countless dinners and cocktail parties, often for international guests, including from Europe.

Tapping into their network of political and judicial leaders, journalists, business moguls, and academics, they made their home a social hub that reverberated far beyond New York City.

The Gerards’ pursuit to improve trans-Atlantic relations after the end of the First World War unfolded right in their home and started a legacy at 1014 Fifth Avenue that continued for the next 100 years.

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After James and Mary Gerard passed away in 1951 and 1956, their household employees received a large inheritance and continued living and working in the house, with full pay, for at least a few months.

“I find a deep and bitter irony in the marvelous advances in science and technology which contrast so strangely with our backwardness in the art of living with one another.”

James W. Gerard, 1951

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THE GOETHE HOUSE YEARS

Goethe House New York brought literature, film, music, art, science, and philosophy to 1014 Fifth Avenue. The organization was founded in 1955 as a New York-based not-forprofit educational institute to strengthen U.S.-German cultural relations in the aftermath of the Second World War. It moved into the former Gerard mansion in 1961 after the German government purchased the building from the Gerard estate for $325,000.

In 1969, Goethe House became part of the global network of the GoetheInstitut. For nearly 50 years, the house hosted lectures, exhibitions, screenings, concerts, and other cultural programs.

For many intellectuals driven out of Germany by the Nazi regime, the trauma of displacement did not change their passion for literature, science, and the arts. The Goethe-Institut New York, through its programs and library, offered emigrants and refugees a link to new currents in German arts and letters – and the cultural heritage they had been forced to leave behind.

Many renowned politicians, intellectuals, filmmakers, and artists from Germany as well as the United States met in Goethe House and turned it into a vibrant place for transAtlantic exchange.

In 2009, the Goethe-Institut New York re-established itself in downtown New York. In 2016, the German parliament decided to allocate funds for a complete refurbishment of 1014 Fifth Avenue based on a modern and contemporary concept for its future use while building upon the rich cultural tradition and trans-Atlantic legacy of the renowned building.

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A SPACE FOR IDEAS

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To revitalize 1014 Fifth Avenue, the German Academy New York, Inc. was established in 2017 as a new institution with approval and initial funding from the German parliament.

This New York-based notfor-profit organization was renamed and branded “1014 — space for ideas” in 2019. A board of directors with renowned members from the United States and Germany oversees its operations.

Cultural programming has accelerated during the past six years as 1014 has developed both a virtual and physical presence at 1014 Fifth Avenue. To date, 1014 has hosted an array of exhibitions, performances, installations, lectures, and panel discussions.

In 1014 events, contemporary works and ideas are juxtaposed with the building’s historic interiors.

1014 brings people together from both sides of the Atlantic to creatively engage with today’s global topics.

Cooperating closely with partner organizations, 1014 fosters individual and institutional friendships that span diverse backgrounds and continents.

Upon completion of the refurbishment, 1014 will also offer a residency program and invite pioneering thinkers and creatives to stay in its premises, creating an atmosphere of innovation, dialogue, and exchange throughout the building.

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THE NEW DESIGN

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The proposal An Open House / “The domestic quality of the building is retained A Sharing House / A House and reinforced not just as a as Home by Chipperfield Architects, KARO Architects, combination of new and old but as a seamless whole – a and Paratus Group won the continuity of connected spaces design competition of the allowing limitless possibilities” anonymous, international (David Chipperfield, Design tender procedure in 2021.

Proposal, 2020).

The jury was composed of representatives of the German government, parliament, as well as independent architects and renowned experts in the cultural field.

They awarded first place to the Chipperfield design with its focus on bridging past and future. Working with the existing structure, Chipperfield only added what is necessary for modern use.

With the support of private “This approach embeds The Chipperfield design donors, corporate sponsors, envisions a more welcoming physical purpose in the and foundations, 1014 Fifth Fifth Avenue entrance, a existing and new spaces, Avenue will once again transparent rear façade, and giving 1014 new life, new become a vibrant place for vigour” (David Chipperfield, multiple outdoor spaces. A trans-Atlantic dialogue and new light-filled, two-storyDesign Proposal, 2020). exchange in the heart of New high Common Room on the third level connects the Bundesbau Baden-Württem- York City; a space to reside, berg (BBBW) supervises engage, invent, inspire, and public program areas in the make friends. lower half of the building the refurbishment of 1014 with residential spaces above. Fifth Avenue, one of the The heart of the building last publicly accessible remains the Auditorium with townhouses along the its traditional wood paneling. Museum Mile. Having experience with construction The design also improves the building’s energy in the United States, BBBW was commissioned by the performance, accessibility, Federal Ministry of Housing, and life safety features.

Construction and Urban Development on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office to take on this task.

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The Auditorium remains the heart of the building, retaining its character while receiving state of the art technical equipment for modern events.

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The new, two-story high Common Room connects the public areas of the lower floors with the private apartments of the residing six fellows on the upper floors.

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The Exhibition Room retains its 20th century townhouse character reminiscent of the Gerard family but includes features for contemporary exhibitions.

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The Lobby maintains its grand atmosphere with a new entrance area that will be easily accessible for people with restricted mobility.

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A Foyer will connect the entrance to the Garden Room.

The Garden Room on the first floor invites 1014 members and guests to relax and mingle, with access to the beautiful garden space.

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IMPRINT

Office 1014 Inc. 880 Third Avenue, 12 Floor New York, New York 10022 Events & Projects 1014 – space for ideas 1014 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10028 www.1014.nyc 2023

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In cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Bundesbau BadenWürttemberg Chipperfield Architects, KARO Architects, Paratus Group And with support of the Goethe-Institut

Some text passages are taken from the exhibition 1014 Past & Future (www.1014pastandfuture.org) by curator Gideon Fink Shapiro.

Design by büro uebele, Stuttgart

Image Credits All Renderings and Drawings

by DCA London pp. 2-3: KARO Architects; Bain, Library of Congress; Wurts Bros. Museum of the City of New York collection; pp. 4-5: New York Public Library collection; (JeanMichel Basquiat and Andy Warhol) Goethe-Institut; (Günther Grass) GoetheInstitut; (Helmut Schmidt and Hildegard Hamm-Brücher) Carin Drechsler-Marx; pp. 6-7: (Stray Bird by New Chamber Ballet) Arnaud Flachier; (Seat#16 by Jenny Brockmann) Sarah Blesener; Sarah Blesener; Rafa Ayoub; p. 10/11: Karin Kohlberg; p. 19: (Exhibition view of “Elias Wessel — It’s Complicated, Is Possibly Art”) EWS-Studio.

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