The Ford Foundation Building is a 12-story Cor-Ten (pre-rusted steel) and glass structure. Massive corner brick piers and a framework of exposed steel beams define the building, as well as its curtain wall façade that recedes downward between the piers. Offices occupy the building`s perimeter and open into an interior atrium that rises through the building`s entire height. The focal point of the building`s interior architecture is the sky-lit atrium which features a garden. The Ford Foundation Building, built between 1963 and 1967, marked a radical shift in typical office design in New York City. Rather than providing office views that look out to Midtown Manhattan, the building turns its attention inward to a 160-foot-high garden atrium. This iconic Modernist building focuses on interior views of lush greenery, natural light and air, and was an innovation in humanizing the office experience and fostering a sense of community in public spaces. In 1997, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Ford Foundation Building as both an exterior and interior landmark.Created with gifts and bequests by Edsel and Henry Ford, the foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, with its own board, and is entirely separate from the Ford Motor Company.
