Ford Foundation Building ARCHITECT: Eero Saarinen Associates; Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo Associates DATE: 1963-67 STYLE: Modern The Ford Foundation and its architects, through this new building, offered New York an alternative model for a modern office building, creating an elegant, transparent glass cube enclosing a twelve-story high, lush, indoor landscaped atrium visible from outside. The architects, in an approach unusual for modern movement buildings in the 1960s, carefully considered the context in planning the building’s design, relating the interior atrium and its garden to the small parks of Tudor City directly to the east.

Growing plants in the Northeast year-round is no mean feat! Here is a look at greenhouses of all stripes throughout the city.

When one speaks about the historic buildings of New York City, images of the stately brick rowhouses of Brooklyn, the cast-iron office buildings of SoHo, and the elaborate mansions of 5th Avenue come to mind. But the interesting architecture of the city is not limited to buildings constructed before 1900 in a classical style. Buildings built in the modern styles in the middle of the 20th century dot the streetscape and range from tall office buildings, to transportation structures, to private residences. These Mid-Century Modern buildings with their unique shapes, unusual massing, and uncommon materials (at least uncommon compared to architecture that came before) stand out from the earlier masonry buildings and the contemporary glassy structures that surround them.

How close is your nearest park? This is a question that tends to become quite important when you’re living in a city. Whether going to the park or visiting a garden, most people need to see some greenery in their daily lives. It gives us a sense of relaxation and connection to nature that’s impactful to us and our environment. New York especially can give you that want for trees and plants, but there are many green spaces that people might not realize are all around them. Some of these places tend to be locked behind the gates of the rich or at the cost of a ticket, other spaces are just unknown to the public eye. Finding and creating these spaces for the public is important, especially when discussing our mental health or New York's struggle with climate change. Not only do green spaces help keep us grounded, they allow for an impact on so many of the city's problems. From collecting massive rainfall to giving us a place to relax, these spaces help us while also helping our environment. All of these topics are important to cover when talking about green spaces in New York. Looking at the accessibility and environmental impact will give us an insight into how they can impact the future of green spaces in the city.

Ford Foundation Building, ca. 1979. Designed by the architecture firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates (both former principles at Eero Saarinen and Associates), this International style building was completed in 1968. The building was constructed for and continues to house the Ford Foundation. Some of the modern features of the building include load-bearing concrete and weathered steel as the materials, which are highly visible, as well as simple, unadorned facade. The most striking feature of the design is the interior garden within a greenhouse-like atrium. Visible through the glass facade, the large open space and lush vegetation were designed to create transparency and an interactive experience for the building's occupants and visitors.

The UK born, Cambridge educated, Israeli diplomat Abba Aubrey Solomon Eban was one of those diplomatic rock stars whose show stopping oratory seemed to articulate an entire era. For at least one week in 1953, along with the local milk driver's strike, he was in the Forward's headlines nearly daily.