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Memphis on the Hudson

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We look at historic buildings and documents a lot here on Off the Grid. Many times we cast our gaze back centuries to the 1780s or 1880s, but this time we thought we’d look a little closer to home – the 1980s. And nothing says ‘80s’ more than Memphis-Milano design.

Ettore Sottsass' 'Carlton' cabinet, a prime example of Memphis Group design.
Ettore Sottsass’ ‘Carlton’ cabinet, a prime example of Memphis Group design.

That design aesthetic – love it or hate it – is extremely evident in the condo building designed and built by RKT&B in 1985-86 that bears the name ‘Memphis’ on Charles Street in the West Village.  We recently stumbled upon the real estate marketing materials for the building in Avery Library’s collection, and compared to the more sedate advertisements for other earlier large residential buildings like 2 Fifth Avenue or the Rembrandt on Jane Street, it certainly stands out and is clearly of its time.  

As we mentioned in an earlier post spotlighting the collection, Avery’s “Real Estate Brochure Collections include over 9,000 items such as advertising brochures, floor plans, and price lists for commercial and residential space in all five New York City boroughs. The majority of the collection focuses on apartment and other residential spaces. The collection was scanned and is accessible online. You can search by address or by neighborhood.”

You can view the entire record for the Memphis condos here. Search for your own building here.

Style: "YR_10"
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Style: "YR_10"
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If you totally can’t get enough of the 80s, be sure to check out some of our other posts about 1980s tax photos, 80s music videos in the Village, Keith Haring, Tom Tom Club and The Genius of Love, The Pyramid Club, and Manic Panic.

One response to “Memphis on the Hudson

  1. This sales brochure for the Memphis buildings is in the Cooper-Hewitt permanent collection and I have it in my Memphis-Milano collection that was exhibited recently.

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