weiss research building

rockefeller university sits on its own pocket of real estate in manhattan’s upper east side. its rich history goes back more than a century: it was founded as the rockefeller institute — the first biomedical research center in the united states — in nineteen oh-one, and since then, the institute has contributed to a slew of medical discoveries before establishing itself as a private, graduate-only university in nineteen fifty-five and adopting its current name ten years later

the university is located on york avenue between sixty-third and sixty-eighth streets. its main gates — which face sixty-sixth street directly — open up towards a compact, sixteen-acre campus that on a cold, dreary february day, is quiet. in the dead of winter, it’s easy to peer between the leafless trees and see buildings such as the comparative science center, the auditorium, and the philosophers garden as you walk north along york ave

if on this walk you periodically look behind you, you’ll catch glimpses of one of the university’s most distinguishable features. to really see it, you’d have to turn around and head back towards sixty-third street. once there, turn towards the east river, follow the sidewalk to take the pedestrian bridge, and, after reaching the water, look up and behind you

there to greet you is the brutalist weiss research building

what is the weiss research building?

the weiss research building is exactly what its name implies: a research facility belonging to rockefeller university (ru). the brutalist tower houses laboratories — including the flow cytometry resource center and the reference genome center — dining facilities, and the university’s it help desk, which is located on the sixth floor. lecture halls 301 and 305 can be used to host lectures for up to eighty-five people each as they are fully equipped with the necessary audio and visual equipment

the weiss research building’s address is 1230 york avenue, based on information provided on the university’s website, although it may also be listed across the internet as ru’s official address at 1200 york avenue

the tower — labelled as building twenty-eight in the university’s campus map — is located on the southern part of campus. it sits right in-between york avenue and fdr drive, the parkway that forms part of manhattan’s eastern perimeter

is the weiss science tower the same thing as the weiss research building?

yes, they’re one and the same; weiss science tower is simply an outdated name. the building has actually gone through several changes in nomenclature, and there’s a lack of consensus in how the building is referenced

to set the record straight, here’s the evolution of the building’s name:

the building is constructed as the weiss science tower in nineteen seventy-one
through the years, it’s known colloquially as the tower building
in nineteen ninety-five, the building is officially renamed as the benjamin & irma g. weiss research building
since then, weiss research building (wrb) is used as a shorter version of its official name and is referenced as such throughout ru’s website

thus, weiss research building should be the name used for the tower. but, as the met breuer has proved, old names die hard

a black-and-white photograph showing the brutalist weiss research building seen through its adjacent pedestrian footbridge — *the pedestrian footbridge leads you from wrb to the east river esplanade, where you can get a good look at the building’s distinctive façade and corner piers*

the architecture of the weiss research building

the weiss research building was designed by nelson w. aldrich, who, at the time, was the principal of the firm campbell, aldrich & nulty. the tower started construction in nineteen sixty-eight and was completed in nineteen seventy-one. fun fact: this is the same firm that is credited as associate architects on the design of what is arguably the most imposing brutalist building in the united states: boston city hall. fun fact number two: aldrich was also a cousin to the rockefellers

the tower rises upwards in the shape of what both critics and the university itself have essentially called a simplified, cartoonish classical column. and yes, the similarities are there. each of the building’s façades feature their characteristic limestone bands and their vertical, recessed windows — the fluting of a classical column. at the top of the tower rests its limestone and glass headpiece — the column’s capital. here, the windows run horizontally and create an arresting visual contrast to the overall vertical flow of the building

furthermore, the building features prominent corner piers that sandwich the façades. these augment the geometrization of the building and give it its dense, bulky look, stamping the cartoon-like feel onto the idea of the building as a column

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a black-and-white image that shows the entirety of the weiss reserach building's eastern façade, as seen from roosevelt island on the opposite side of new york city's east river — *the best view of the weiss research building — formerly known as the weiss science tower — may just be from roosevelt island on the opposite side of the east river*

if i had to choose one word to describe the building, it’d be smooth, since it works literally and figuratively. the limestone finishes of the exterior of the building are just that. this is especially prominent on the building’s corner piers, where their polished appearance make it seem as if anything could glide off them. and speaking of gliding, that’s what’s smooth about the building’s appearance as a whole — your gaze naturally moves upward along with the rising building. this is exactly what gives the building its sense of flow, something that is aided by its columns of black-glass windows that create the distinct vertical lines that are very reminiscent of those found on 33 thomas street

the building’s upward visual pull takes you to the top of the building formerly known as the weiss science tower, where it’s halted by the sudden change in direction. the horizontal and protruding upper part of the building is its most characteristic feature. it’s through it that the building takes on an appearance apt for its use, making it easy to imagine in it the scientists with their lab coats tinkering with buttons and dials, fine-tuning lasers and microscopes, and obsessing over the precision required for the betterment of mankind, all performed under the banner of scientific progress

or maybe it’s a control tower — one of many — standing watch over a dystopian surveillance state as a four-sided brutalist robo-cyclops, a literal robocop whose gaze you can’t escape, even if the citizens down below are too preoccupied in their own affairs to even think about looking up

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