Despite its status, Le Corbusier never had the opportunity to build in New York - in actually, there was a chance to build the United States at all, completing Harvard Carpenter Center for the visual arts in Cambridge in 1963. But that does not mean its influence is visible everywhere in the Big Apple. Originally released on 6sqft as "Towers in the Park: The influence of Le Corbusier in New York," this article looks at three examples where "Radiant City" ideals of Le Corbusier were transplanted to New York
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Even before making his first trip to New York in 1935, Le Corbusier described the city as "totally devoid of harmony." After viewing in person, feelings do not soften. He was not impressed by the high towers, instead saying they were the product of an inferiority complex, and thought leaders of the city were too shy to hire him. He wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times saying that "American skyscrapers has reached the rank of architecture; rather, they are only small items such as statuettes and trinkets, magnified to gigantic proportions. "He thought the city would benefit from buildings that are" not seeking to outdo each other, but all the same. "
But in 1947 Le Corbusier believed that his time had come to leave his mark on Manhattan. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased the current site of the United Nations Headquarters for $ 8.5 million, in turn, donate it to the city to complete the project. American architect Wallace Harrison was appointed as director of planning, and a Board of Design Consultants of architects, planners and engineers was appointed by member governments. Le Corbusier represented France, and Oscar Niemeyer represented Brazil. Le Corbusier created a design plan, known as Project name 23 before arriving in New York for planning meetings, and requested that Niemeyer not presented a plan if this 23 could be achieved. Niemeyer was much younger than his counterpart at the time, and initially backed away from the planning process, but finally presented his own idea, project 32.
The Draft 23 Corbusier was a big block that put the Assembly hall and the council chambers at the center of the tower of the Secretariat as a slab on the south side. Although the Council finally chose a design that was a mix of proposals Niemeyer and Le Corbusier, the end result was much closer to the vision of Niemeyer, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of Le Corbusier.
NYC Towers in the Park
Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village (commonly called "Stuy Town") was an early example of one of the towers-in-the the park design in New York. In 1942, as part of the development of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, planning began on a post-war housing project designed to give veterans priority in the selection of affordable housing. Design, intended to create the feeling of country in the city, was designed by the "master planner" Robert Moses. Construction began on the $ 50-million complex in 1945, replacing the 18 blocks of the city that was once home to the house of the gas district.
Linked by 23rd and 14th Streets, Stuyvesant Town stretches from Avenue C 1st Avenue and contains 110 red brick buildings in a cross-with 11,250 apartments. The residential community of 80 acres is divided into Stuyvesant Town proper to 14th Street to 20th Street, and Peter Cooper Village on 20th Street to 23rd Street. The buildings are connected by winding, landscaped paths, and the center is oval Stuyvesant, a fountain surrounded by a sprawling grass area that functions as the center of the community. In fact, Stuy Town offers an open space so that only 25% of the site is occupied by the actual buildings.
As Le Corbusier, Moses favored bulldozed areas "blighted" and replace them with projects of high-rise housing . To make room for Stuy Town "0 buildings containing 3,100 families once, 500 shops and small factories, three churches, three schools and two theaters were razed," according CityRealty. Similar trends have occurred with the majority of Moses public housing projects. The influence of Le Corbusier out specifically in Stuy Town, however. The complex is based on the Radiant City and separates pedestrians from cars and commercial spaces.
Next the city Stuy model was Penn South in 1962, officially known as the Mutual Redevelopment Houses. The housing cooperative ten-building, 2820-unit occupies the site bound by Chelsea eight and Ninth avenues and 23th and West 29th streets. Designed by Herman Jessor (unofficial housing architect co-op in the city), it was sponsored by Garment Workers Union Ladies International and based on the model promoted by the Foundation for the United housing, which was established in 1951 as a trust real estate investment to oversee the co-operative housing. The complex was built for low and moderate income workers and was yet another example of the Radiant City, with its towers of red brick, concrete slab.
Many complex towers-in-the -Park have a bad reputation as the years passed, in part for their appearance "housing project-like" and more specifically due their closed positions that led to vandalism and crime But Penn South never fallen into this snare. it remains today a successful example of a system of towers-in-the-park and unlike Stuy Town. which now sees units in a rented room for about $ 4000 / month, Penn South is still an affordable complex.
Co-op City in the Baychester section of the Bronx is an example of a massive complex towers-in-the-park; it is the largest cooperative housing development in the world. Completed in 1968, the 320-acre complex is also a product of the Foundation and Herman United Housing Jessor and has 35 high-rise buildings, seven groups of townhouses and 15.372 residential units. In addition to using Le Corbusier's Radiant City / towers-in-the-park ideals, Co-op City integrates its notion of a "city within a city." As the famous Le Corbusier Unit of Housing, the complex Bronx integrates functions of life and commercial spaces, including eight parking garages, three shopping centers, six schools, day care centers, a power station, a fire station, more than 40 offices, 15 houses of worship, four basketball courts and five baseball diamonds.
Towers in the park Today
While most major tours-in-the-park were built in the mid 20th century, they are still very much a part of New York city today. first comprehensive zoning of the city was enacted in 1916, but in the early 60's, planners were moving towards modern urban theories of the time, such as the model towers-in-the-park. Because of their popularity, incentive commercial zoning extra floor space for public amenities, has been implemented. Zoning Resolution 1961 resulting, which we still use today, said the public space and encouraged developers to integrate places into their projects. And although many today find tours in the park to be obsolete and even dangerous, the three examples we've covered here are still thriving communities.
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