Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
| Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice | |
|---|---|
| 42nd Street facade | |
| Alternative names | Ford Foundation Building | 
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Late Modernism | 
| Address | 320 East 43rd Street | 
| Town or city | Manhattan, New York | 
| Country | United States | 
| Coordinates | 40°44′59″N 73°58′16″W / 40.74972°N 73.97111°W | 
| Construction started | 1964 | 
| Completed | 1967 | 
| Inaugurated | December 8, 1967 | 
| Renovated | 2016–2018 | 
| Cost | $16 million | 
| Client | Ford Foundation | 
| Owner | Ford Foundation | 
| Height | 174 feet (53 m) | 
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | concrete and steel frame | 
| Floor count | 12 | 
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Kevin Roche | 
| Architecture firm | Roche Dinkeloo | 
| Structural engineer | John Dinkeloo | 
| Main contractor | Turner Construction | 
| Awards and prizes | Albert S. Bard Civic Award Twenty-five Year Award | 
| References | |
| Designated | October 21, 1997 | 
| Reference no. | 1969, 1970 | 
The Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice (also known as 321 East 42nd Street, 320 East 43rd Street, or the Ford Foundation Building) is a 12-story office building in East Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1967, it was designed in the late modernist style by architect Kevin Roche and engineering partner John Dinkeloo of Roche-Dinkeloo. The building was commissioned as the headquarters of the Ford Foundation, the largest private foundation in the United States at the time of the edifice's construction.
The building is a glass-and-steel cube held up by piers made of concrete and clad with Dakota granite. The main entrance is along 43rd Street, and there is a secondary entrance on 42nd Street. The large public atrium inside, the first such space in an office building in Manhattan, was designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley and includes plants, shrubs, trees, and vines. Most of the building's offices are north and west of the atrium and are visible from other offices.
Commissioned after Henry Heald became the Ford Foundation's president, the structure was developed on the former site of the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled. Final plans for the Ford Foundation Building were announced in September 1964, and the building was formally dedicated on December 8, 1967. The Ford Foundation Building underwent a major renovation and restoration project between 2015 and 2018, and it was renamed the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. The Ford Foundation Building has been critically acclaimed for its design, both after its completion and after the renovation, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated the building and its atrium as city landmarks.