Rockefeller Guest House
The Rockefeller Guest House is a building at 242 East 52nd Street in the East Midtown and Turtle Bay neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Situated on the southern sidewalk of 52nd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, it was designed by Philip C. Johnson and completed in 1950. The residence was constructed as a guest house for philanthropist Blanchette Rockefeller, who was married to John D. Rockefeller III. It was the only private residence in New York City that Johnson designed.
The two-story building contains a symmetrical facade of brick at ground level and glass above. The first story is made of dark red brick in Flemish bond. The second story is made of six translucent glass panels divided by four steel bars. Johnson designed the interior of the guest house with a living and dining room facing 52nd Street, as well as a bedroom in the rear. These are separated by an outdoor garden with a pool, separated from either room by fully glazed walls.
Johnson was hired to design the guest house in 1948 for Blanchette Rockefeller, who wanted a separate building to store her modern art collection, as her husband did not appreciate modern art. The house was constructed from 1949 to 1950 and initially hosted many functions for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), for which Blanchette Rockefeller was a patron. The house was donated to MoMA in 1955 and was then occupied by several residents, including Johnson himself between 1971 and 1979. The Rockefeller Guest House was sold in 1989, becoming the first house to be sold at an art auction in New York City. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Rockefeller Guest House as an official landmark in 2000.
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The Rockefeller Guest House is at 242 East 52nd Street in the East Midtown and Turtle Bay neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It is along the southern sidewalk of 52nd Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.[2][3][4] The land lot has an area of 2,500 square feet (230 m2), a frontage of 25 feet (7.6 m) along 52nd Street, and a depth of 100 feet (30 m).[2][5] Nearby buildings include 312 and 314 East 53rd Street one block northwest and 303 East 51st Street one block southeast.[2]
In the early 20th century, a large portion of Turtle Bay's population was involved in the arts or architecture, and structures such as the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design and the residential Turtle Bay Gardens and Beaux-Arts Apartments were constructed for this community.[6] William Lescaze's renovation of an existing brownstone townhouse on 48th Street, and its subsequent conversion into the Lescaze House, inspired similar renovations to other structures in the neighborhood.[7][8] The specific site of the Rockefeller Guest House had previously been occupied by two structures built around 1870. According to the guest house's architect Philip Johnson, there was a small house in the rear and a coach house in the front, separated by "a gap and a weed patch".[9][10]