Rudolph’s long-term residence on the lower east side of Manhattan overlooking the East River became one of his most famous projects.
“Similarly, to pursue this notion of danger in Rudolph’s work, his apartment at Beekman Place in New York underwent a number of reincarnations. One of them, I think it was the second one to the last, featured a bird walk, like Wright’s at Taliesin. It was a very narrow little gangway that went out to a little seating area with seats on two sides. It was supported on some very, very tall steel columns underneath this little seating area. The ground sloped away precipitously to Roosevelt Boulevard and the East River. The frightening thing about it was this thing was constructed all of metal grating. When you went out there, you could look down and see through. It was very unsubstantial. Rudolph loaned me that apartment once when he was out of town and I was doing something in New York. I stayed there. I went out on this bird walk to the little seating area and it was really scary. I mentioned this to Rudolph when he came back. He said, “Yes, I’m afraid to go out there myself.””
William Grindereng interviewed by Bruce Barnes, 2006
