Pirelli Tire Building

The Pirelli Tire Building also known as the Armstrong Rubber Building is a historic former office building in the neighborhood of Long Wharf in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Designed by modernist architect Marcel Breuer, the structure is a noted example of Brutalism and was completed in 1970. Conversion to a hotel commenced in 2020 and it will open in the spring of 2022 as Hotel Marcel. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.[1]

Not to be confused with Pirelli Tower.
Pirelli Tire Building
General information
Architectural styleBrutalism
Location500 Sargent Drive New Haven, Connecticut, 06511
Coordinates41.2965°N 72.9187°W / 41.2965; -72.9187
Construction started1968
Completed1970
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
ArchitectMarcel Breuer
Armstrong Rubber Company Building
Interactive map highlighting the building's location
NRHP reference No.100006451[1]
Added to NRHPApril 29, 2021

History

Early history

Armstrong Rubber Co. first initiated the building's construction in 1966 with the presentation of a proposal to develop a site at the intersection of Interstates 91 and 95 to then-mayor of New Haven, Richard C. Lee. While the company originally proposed a low rise structure, Lee suggested a 8-10 story development. In response, the project's architect, Marcel Breuer, designed a plan suspending the company's administrative offices two stories above a two-story research and development space.[2] The negative space between the building's two forms was reportedly intended to reduce sound in the offices from the development labs below.

The building's facade is constructed entirely of pre-cast concrete paneling designed to provide sun protection and visual depth.[2]

In 1988, Pirelli purchased Armstrong Rubber, selling the site soon after.[3]

The building's facade

The New Haven Arts Council's Alliance for Architecture effectively added the site to the State Register of Historic Places in 2000.[4]

Partial demolition
The building in 2014, the IKEA building and sign visible in the background

Swedish furniture manufacturer, IKEA, purchased the site in 2003, soon after announcing plans to build an adjacent store and demolish a 64,000-square foot section of the building for parking. The plan was criticized by the Long Wharf Advocacy Group, a local coalition that sought to pursue alternatives for the site that better preserved the structure. The Connecticut chapter of the American Institute of Architects criticized the plan as well.[5] Despite community criticism, IKEA demolished most of the low-rise portion of the structure for construction of a parking lot, saving only the portion below the suspended offices; the demolition was criticized for disrupting the intended asymmetrical visual balance of the structure.[2][5]

Current and future use

The Pirelli Tire Building remained unoccupied and largely unused for many years, which was criticized by preservation groups as demolition by neglect.[3]

In 2017, New-Haven-born visual artist Tom Burr utilized the entire first floor of a conceptual art exhibition titled Body/Building.[4]

In 2018, local reports emerged of the possible development of a hotel on the site.[6][7]

In December 2019, the 2.76-acre property containing the building was purchased from IKEA for $1.2 million by Connecticut architect and developer Becker + Becker, who announced plans to convert it into a "net zero energy boutique hotel and conference center".[8] The building is also anticipated to be the first Passive House certified hotel in the U.S.[9][10] It will open as the 165-room Hotel Marcel, named for its architect, in spring 2022.[11][12]

Reception

The building has faced considerable public criticism. According to an October 2018 Business Insider article, the building was rated as the state's "ugliest" by Connecticut residents.[13][14]

References
  1. "Weekly listing". National Park Service.
  2. "Pirelli Tire Building". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  3. DICKINSON, DUO. "After A Dozen Years, New Interest In Adaptive Reuse Of Iconic Pirelli Building - Hartford Courant". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  4. "Placing Pieces of Local History in an Empty Marcel Breuer Building". Hyperallergic. 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  5. Hughes, C. J. (2003-01-26). "The View/From New Haven; As a Business Sets Up, A Group Takes Steps To Preserve a Landmark". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  6. "Breuer's Pirelli Tire Building will be reborn as a hotel". Archpaper.com. 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  7. "Marcel Breuer's Brutalist Pirelli Building is slated for new life as a hotel". Archinect. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  8. "360 State Builder Buys IKEA Hotel Site". New Haven Independent. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  9. "This Eco-friendly Hotel Will Make U.S. History When It Opens in 2022". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  10. Adeline Chen. "This revived architectural landmark could be the first net-zero hotel in the US". CNN. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  11. "Marcel Breuer's icon of brutalist architecture in Connecticut is reimagined as a hotel". 26 February 2021.
  12. Travel + Leisure (December 15, 2021). "This Eco-friendly Hotel Will Make U.S. History When It Opens in 2022". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  13. Dayton, Kels (2018-07-25). "Pirelli Building in New Haven named Connecticut's ugliest building". WTNH. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  14. Garfield, Leanna. "The ugliest building in every US state, according to people who live there". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
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