Marcel Breuer - Design & Design Art New York Thursday, December 13, 2007 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Armstrong Rubber Company Headquarters, New Haven, Connecticut

  • Catalogue Essay

    The offered lot was produced by Marcel Breuer for the Armstrong Rubber Company Headquarters, later to be known as the Pirelli building, in New Haven, Connecticut.  Breuer, along with Robert Gatje, designed the Armstrong building as part of the New Haven Redevelopment Agency’s Long Wharf Project, a major component of New Haven’s Model City Program which aimed to bring urban re-development to this area of New Haven.  The design aimed to combine a unique design with a focal point in the city, situated directly on I-95, to serve as a symbol of urban revitalization.   The building’s design is representative of Breuer’s mature phase in which he began to appreciate masonry and concrete structures.  The shape of the building is interesting in that by using columns, he was able to lift the executive offices two stories off the ground, creating a void in the box that is the building.  This void is echoed in the legs of the offered lot.  This table creates the same sort of void underneath while also supporting an extremely heavy and dense top.  This aesthetic exudes permanence and stability which held a fascination for Breuer in these later years and could be seen in a number of other commissions such as office buildings and religious structures in which a monumental scale is more appropriate.

207

Unique dining table, from the Armstrong Rubber Company Headquarters, New Haven, Connecticut

1969
Granite.
28 3/8 x 96 x 47 3/8 in. (72.1 x 243.8 x 120.3 cm)

Estimate
$150,000 - 250,000 

Sold for $121,000

Design & Design Art

13 Dec 2007, 2pm
New York