David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center Building, RBF Westchester, NY Architecture Images
David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center
Westchester Orangerie Building, NY, USA, design by FXCollaborative Architects
Sep 21, 2019
David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center in Westchester
Design: FXCollaborative, Architects, NY
Location: Westchester, New York State, USA
images courtesy of architects
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Entrusts FXCollaborative with Retrofitting Historic Orangerie into Arts Center
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (September, 2019) – New York City-based architecture firm FXCollaborative has been commissioned by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) to adapt an orangerie on the family’s former estate in Westchester for reuse as a public arts center with net-zero carbon emissions.
The firm started planning and strategic design work in 2015 to transform the dormant building—the Orangerie, built in 1908 by architect Williams Welles Bosworth as a winter greenhouse for orange trees—into an creative venue to be named the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center. It will include multipurpose performance spaces, a gallery, and a flexible studio for artists and community programs.
“The reinvention of the historic Orangerie is a thrilling assignment,” said FXCollaborative’s Sylvia Smith, a senior partner at the firm and head of its Cultural/Educational Studio practice.
Sylvia Smith, FXCollaborative:
“Our approach will elegantly fuse arts-driven and net-zero energy design,” she said. “The result will be a laboratory for creative production and a model for sustainable transformation.”
An array of on-site solar panels will generate more energy than the 13,000-square-foot, single-story structure will consume in a year (thus the net-zero building designation) and a rain garden will control storm water and restore natural habitat.
The firm will seek LEED Platinum certification for the Orangerie. Established by the US Green Building Council, this building-performance rating evaluates the efficient use of water, HVAC systems, energy, sustainable materials, and indoor environmental quality.
Construction is set to begin later this year and completion is slated for spring 2021.
“The net-zero energy David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center aligns with and advances RBF’s decades-long commitment to promote sustainable design,” Smith said. FXCollaborative has previously worked with RBF on other projects, including its headquarters in Manhattan.
Existing exterior of the orangerie on the Rockefeller family’s former estate in Westchester:
The Rockefeller estate was home to four generations of the family beginning with John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil. It features numerous residences accented by terraces, gardens, and outdoor sculpture.
Existing interior of the Rockefeller family orangerie, Westchester, NY:
After World War II, the Orangerie was primarily used as a storage facility. The building was transferred to the ownership of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1979.
Together with the historic Rockefeller home, the Marcel Breuer House, the Coach Barn, the Playhouse, and the encircling gardens and landscape, it is now operated by the RBF as The Pocantico Center, a conference center, museum, summer performance venue, and artist residency.
Named for Rockefeller’s grandson David who was a businessman, philanthropist, and avid art collector, the arts center will allow the facility to offer cultural programming year-round, said Judy Clark, executive director of The Pocantico Center.
“The repurposed building will give us space to elevate and nurture the creative process for both emerging and world-class artists, and local community groups alike,” Clark said of the Orangerie’s new role at Pocantico.
“The goal of this project is to see artists and their work as a dynamic work in progress, instead of a static, finished project,” said FXCollaborative’s Smith. “We know Mr. Rockefeller believed art changes the way one perceives the world, and we’re excited to play an important part in facilitating that change in New York.”
Proposed map of the grounds surrounding the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center:
About FXCollaborative
FXCollaborative leverages its broad experience in architecture, interiors, and planning to enrich the world with responsible, intelligent, and beautiful design. Recently ranked as the ninth-largest in New York City in Crain’s annual rankings of the metropolitan area’s top architecture firms, FXCollaborative’s holistic approach integrates client aspirations, urban sensibilities, and a celebration of the craft of building.
The firm’s work ranges from the scale of individual buildings and interiors—office towers, multi-family residences, cultural facilities, workplace, K-12, and higher-education institutions—to the planning of the city, addressing infrastructure and transportation.
About the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) advances social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world. The RBF’s grantmaking is organized around three themes: Democratic Practice, Peacebuilding, and Sustainable Development. Though the Fund pursues its three program interests in a variety of geographic contexts, it has identified “pivotal places” on which to concentrate cross-programmatic attention: China and the Western Balkans. The Charles E. Culpeper Arts & Culture program nurtures a vibrant and inclusive arts community in the Fund’s home city of New York.
About The Pocantico Center
The Pocantico Center is a venue for conferences and meetings on critical issues related to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s mission. It also serves as a community resource and offers public access through a visitation program, lectures, and cultural events, as well as support to artists and arts organizations in the greater New York City area.
The RBF’s stewardship of the Pocantico Historic Area includes overseeing the maintenance, care, conservation, and restoration of the historic buildings, gardens, and collections of decorative and fine art. Located 20 miles north of Manhattan, The Pocantico Center is managed by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as part of its agreement with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center Westchester images / information from FXCollaborative Architects Sep 2019
Location: New York State, USA
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