11 West 53rd Street

No other New York institution has been so identified with the family, unless it is Rockefeller Center. One good reason is that more Rockefellers have had a part in it than any other, namely Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Nelson, David, Blanchette Hooker (Mrs. John D. 3rd) Rockefeller, and lately David, Jr.

Of all the institutions where the family has been active, no other has had quite the influence of the Museum of Modern Art. Founded to educate Americans, not just New Yorkers, to appreciate modern art, it helped shape the modern movement in this country, to the point where it dominates American art. By no means is it confined to painting and sculpture but extends to architecture, interior design, and the design of useful objects, even automobiles. Among its most popular attractions, although they have nothing to do with modern art, are movies and still photography.

Many may think that the reason MOMA is here is because of the adjacent station of the IND subway. The facts are otherwise. At one time John D. Jr. owned most of the land from 53rd Street to 55th, midway between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. As he lived on the south side of 54th Street, he wanted to preserve the residential nature of the neighborhood.

The family first became associated with this part of New York when John D. Sr. moved from Cleveland. In 1884 he bought 4 West 54th Street which stood at the east end of the museum's Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. The two rooms in the Museum of the City of New York came from this house. In 1910-1911, John D. Jr., ten years after his marriage to Abby Aldrich, the daughter of Senator Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich of Rhode Island, built 10 West 54th Street, which stood at the west end of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. Both houses were torn down in 1938.

We have to turn to another thread. MOMA was founded in 1929 with Abby Aldrich Rockefeller as treasurer. Its first home was in the Crown Building (formerly Heckscher Building) on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Its second home was in a large house at 11 West 53rd, which explains the museum's address. The second member of the family to join the board was Nelson, named a trustee in 1932, and to become president eventually. The museum, in the 1930s, had expanded so rapidly that it had to have its own building, constructed in 1939 on Rockefeller-donated lots.

The history of the building is as follows: The original building, 1937-1939, was designed by Philip Goodwin and Edward Durrell Stone. In 1951 and 1964 extensions were added, the work of Philip Johnson; the east extension is still there. Finally in order to create a source of revenue the museum built an extension to the west with a high residential tower. This last is the work of Cesar Pelli, formerly head of the Yale School of Architecture. At the same time the older portions were enlarged and a new facade given the north side facing the garden.

At present there are three members of the family active in the museum. Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller is president, David Rockefeller is vice-chairman, and David, Jr., a member of the board.

The tour retraces to Fifth Avenue. This must be done carefully as it is going counter to traffic. At Fifth Avenue it goes south of 50th Street to stop at the Channel Gardens.

Left: The Museum of Modern Art on West 53rd Street. Right: An interior of the Museum of Modern Art; sculpture: Floating Figure by Lachaise.

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