| Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 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 | 1963 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Inaugurated | December 8, 1967 |
| Renovated | 2016–2018 |
| Cost | $16 million[1] |
| 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. Designed by architect Kevin Roche and engineering partner John Dinkeloo in the late modernist style, the building was one of the first that Roche-Dinkeloo produced after they became heads of Eero Saarinen's firm.
The building is designed as a glass-and-steel cube held up by piers made of concrete and clad with Dakota granite. The main entrance is along 43rd Street. A second entrance on 42nd Street leads to a large public atrium, the first such space in an office building in Manhattan. The atrium contains landscaping from 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.
The building was commissioned for the Ford Foundation, then the largest private foundation in the United States, after Henry Heald became foundation president. The Ford Foundation Building was announced in 1963 and completed in 1968 on the former site of the Hospital for the Ruptured and Crippled. Between 2015 and 2018, the Ford Foundation Building underwent a major renovation and restoration project, 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. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building and its atrium as city landmarks in 1997.